


Greed's guide to making friends (with step by step instructions)

by DragonsAndCryptids



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Ed is a witch, F/F, F/M, Gen, Lan Fan is the best bro, Ling did not sign up for this shit, M/M, Multi, Other, Slow Burn, Urban Fantasy, and he's real bad at it, automail still exists, but i wanted it so i dont care, he gets possessed, this whole thing is borderline crack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-01-29 03:41:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 51,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21403600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonsAndCryptids/pseuds/DragonsAndCryptids
Summary: Ed is a weird roommate, but Ling didn't really mind too much.Well, until hanging out with Ed ends up with him getting possessed.Or when Ed's life is a disaster in any universe, and Ling gets dragged in by mistake.
Relationships: Edward Elric & Ling Yao, Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell, Greed/Ling Yao, Lan Fan & Ling Yao, Paninya/Winry Rockbell, Paninya/Winry Rockbell/Edward Elric, Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang
Comments: 195
Kudos: 457





	1. Step One: Possess Them

**Author's Note:**

> Haha, here I am with another multi-chapter fic. But I love Greed and Ling, so here we are

Ling Yao had no idea what he did to piss God off enough to land himself Edward Elric as a roommate. 

At first, when Lan Fan had moved out to live with and take care of her ailing grandfather, Edward had seemed perfect. He offered to pay more than his share of the rent “because he had the money, so why the hell not.” He didn’t eat any of Ling’s food. Hell, he wasn’t even  _ around _ most of the time, either working or visiting his brother. 

So yeah, Ling hadn’t minded the small, angry blond at all. 

But then Edward got  _ weird.  _ Well, Ling suspected he had been weird the whole time, but after about a month, decided he was tired of hiding it. 

It started with little things. He drew weird symbols on the walls, and when Ling asked what they were, he told him to “Fuck off,” and left it at that. Ling didn’t really mind, he’d gotten used to Ed’s filthy mouth and terrible personality, but it still left him curious. 

Then he brought over a  _ ton _ of old weapons. Swords, knives, there was even a bow. Again, this could have been written off as a weird hobby, and Ed’s eccentric-ness, but then Winry (Ed’s girlfriend, who had helped him move said weapons), warned Ling not to touch them under  _ any  _ circumstances. When he asked why, she just sighed and shook her head, telling him to ask Ed. Of course, Ed didn’t tell him. 

Then Ed started coming home at weird hours, covered in blood, and sometimes, even his automail had been busted up (Ling always left when that happened because he didn’t want to be a witness to his murder at Winry's hands). He knew Ed was always ready to throw down, but Ling had  _ no idea _ who or what Ed could  _ possibly _ be fighting that could completely destroy automail like that. 

He tried to sweep all of this under the rug, act like it was no big deal, and complained about it like it was a “weird roommate thing” to Lan Fan. 

Lan Fan’s favorite theory was that Ed was a member of some cult. Although, she did genuinely believe he had an interest in the occult, and probably just enjoyed getting into fights. 

Ling wasn’t so sure about either one of her theories, all he knew was that Ed was  _ weird, _ and he had a feeling it was only going to get worse as time went on. 

The icing on the cake though, however indirectly, was Ed getting Ling possessed. 

Ling was fairly certain that topped  _ everyone’s  _ horrible roommate stories. 

Ed got him fucking  _ possessed.  _

* * *

“Hey, Ling. The fridge is fucking empty, you want to just go out tonight?” Ed asked as he slammed the appliance in question closed. 

Ling glanced up from the paper he was writing. It was due at midnight, but that was a whole five hours away. “Yeah, sure.” He set his textbook aside. “Don’t you have work tonight, though?” 

“Eh.” Ed grabbed his tacky red coat off the hook and motioned for Ling to hurry up. “I’m late half the time anyways. Besides, that damn bastard could do some work for himself, every now and then.” 

_ That damn bastard _ was Ed speak for his boss. Ling wasn’t sure he’d ever heard him refer to the man as anything else. “I don’t know how you’ve managed to keep that job,” he said as he tugged his shoes on. 

“I’m good at what I do,” he said. 

“You work at an antique shop, Ed. It cannot be that hard,” he said. 

“Tch. I’d like to see you try it.” 

Ling rolled his eyes. Ed was probably just so grumpy because he had degrees in chemistry, biology, and engineering, but couldn’t find another job. Although, he never really seemed to be looking for one… “If you hate your boss so much, why don’t you just get another job? Aren’t you like a genius?” He’d graduated with three degrees by the time he was twenty-one, and acted like it was  _ nothing.  _

“Since when do you care about my job?” he asked. “Fuck off.” 

He raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright. Let’s just get some food.” 

* * *

Because Ling was a broke college student, they ended up just grabbing some fast food, despite Ed’s whining. “I miss Winry’s cooking…” 

“You’re just spoiled,” Ling said around a mouthful of french fries. “Me and Lan Fan live off this stuff.” 

“And I feel sorry for you,” he said. He began to pick at the limp lettuce on his burger in disdain. “Honestly, Ling. Your life’s so damn boring.” 

“Ouch.” 

“No, really!” he said as he rested his elbow on the table. “You go to boring-ass classes, go to your boring-ass retail job, and occasionally you meet up with Lan Fan to go to your boring-ass ultimate frisbee league.” 

Ling frowned. “What the hell made you think Lan Fan and I are part of an ultimate frisbee league?” 

Ed’s eyebrows knitted together. “You’re not?” 

“Uh, no?” 

“Well whatever the hell you two do together,” he continued. “My point still stands. It’s so fucking boring.” 

“Well, I agree with you about work and some of my classes, but it’s not so bad,” he said. “To me, your life looks like an anxiety inducing chaos disaster, and I don’t even know that much about it, so I think I’ll stick with my boring one.” 

Ed shrugged. “Alright, whatever. Just saying you could try spicing it up every now and then.” 

“Mmhm, and how would I even go about that?” he asked. 

“I don’t know, start a fight!” 

Ling crossed his arms. “I would prefer not to get arrested.” 

“Ask Lan Fan out.” 

“Lan Fan is a lesbian,” he said. 

“Try some witchcraft.” 

“I think you’re self projecting your hobbies onto me.” 

Ed threw his head back and groaned. “God, you’re so picky. I’m trying to help you out here.” 

_ “How?” _ Honestly, Ed was a disaster. 

He shrugged. “Eh, whatever. You get bored enough, you’ll figure something out.”

“I never said I was bored!” Ling exclaimed. “Some of us actually like stability in our lives. Anyways, we should probably head back to the apartment. I have a paper due tonight.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Ed shoved the last bite of his burger in his mouth. 

* * *

They were on the way back to the apartment when Ed got his wish and Ling’s life became a lot less  _ boring. _

They were about halfway back, and Ed froze and grabbed Ling’s shoulder. “Oh, shit. Hey, I just remembered, I had to do this super important thing for Hawkeye. I’ll see you in the morning. Good luck on your paper.” Then he turned and sprinted back the direction they’d come from. 

“Are you kidding me?” Ling muttered. Of course, it wasn’t the first time Ed had pulled something like that, but that was the most blatantly untruthful excuse so far. He had no idea what the weirdo was doing, but it definitely wasn’t running an errand for whoever Hawkeye was. “Whatever,” he sighed, and continued on the way home. 

As soon as Ed disappeared among the people on the street, someone grabbed Ling’s shoulder, shoved their hand over his mouth, and yanked him into an alley. 

“Shit, that’s not Fullmetal!” 

“You  _ dumbass! _ They look nothing alike!” 

Ling thrashed against the person who held him, but they were  _ strong. _ Way stronger than any human had any right to be. The further he got pulled away from the street, the more freaked out he became. 

_ Am I seriously about to be murdered right now!? I can’t believe my last meal was a McDonald’s hamburger!  _ He tried to scream, and the person shook him. “Shut the fuck up, what the hell are we supposed to do with him?” 

Finally, one of the kidnappers stepped forward so he could actually see them. She didn’t  _ look _ like a kidnapper. She was  _ beautiful. _ Then again, Ling supposed anyone could look like a kidnapper. 

The woman scoffed and rolled her purple-red eyes. “Still don’t understand how you mistook him for Fullmetal. You’re so goddamn stupid, Envy.” 

“Shut up, you slut!” the one holding him shouted. “He smelled like Fullmetal, so I grabbed! We should just kill him.” 

Ling’s eyes widened and his struggling renewed. He kicked his legs, pulled against the iron grip that held his arms behind his back, he even tried to bite at the hand over his mouth. It did nothing.

“Watch it, brat,” the voice hissed in his ear. “I’ll end you  _ right now.” _

“Cut it out,” the woman said. She leaned forward, as if she were inspecting him. “He looks pretty sturdy. And we still need someone to shove Greed into.” 

“Seriously?” Ling could  _ hear _ the eye roll in his kidnapper’s voice. 

The woman glared at whoever held him. “Yes, seriously. Look, it’s either that or kill him, and at least this way, we don’t have to go hunt down a Greed replacement later.” 

“Fine.” The hand finally pulled away from his mouth, but before Ling could scream, he was bashed over the head, and knocked out. 

* * *

When Ling came to, he almost wished he hadn’t. He was strapped down to a table, in what looked like some giant, shifty basement. “Oh my god, Lan Fan was right about cults.” 

“Ayyy! He’s awake!” A person leaned over him, and Ling recognized their voice as the kidnapper he hadn’t seen,  _ Envy _ . 

A few moments later, the woman appeared as well. “Well knock him out again,” she said. “I don’t want to listen to him.” 

“Awww, come on, Lust! Dontcha want to have a little fun with him?” they asked. 

She whacked them on the back of the head. “Just put Greed in him.” She turned and stalked off. 

Envy stuck their tongue out at her. 

Ling struggled against the leather straps pinning him down. “What the hell is going on?” 

Envy snickered. “Whiny little human. Don’t worry about it. It’s not like you’re gonna be around for much longer anyways.” They patted Ling’s head,  _ much _ rougher than necessary. 

“What the hell does that mean!?” he demanded, still fighting against his bindings. 

Envy’s grin made him shudder.  _ “Lust!” _ they shouted. “Get whatever’s left of Greed from Father. You’re right. He’s annoying as fuck.” 

A few moments later the woman returned a tossed a little vial filled with red liquid to Envy. “There he is. God, I hope he’s less obnoxious this time around.” 

Envy rolled their eyes. “You know he won’t be. He might have had his memories erased but I’m sure his garbage personality is still there.” 

Lust sniffed. “You’re one to talk about a garbage personality.” 

Envy bristled. “Watch it, you hag!” 

For a pair of kidnappers, they sure didn’t get along very well. 

“Alright, hold still unless you want to lose your head,” Lust said. Then her fingers _ lengthened,  _ turning into massive claws. 

“What the  _ hell?” _ Ling squeaked, freezing when he realized she was not joking about taking his head off at  _ all.  _

One of her claws slashed a shallow cut into his neck. He winced, and clenched his jaw to keep from crying out. 

“Give me it.” Lust’s claws retracted back to fingers and she held her hand out. 

Envy handed her the vial. 

Ling jerked against the bonds again. They  _ were not _ putting whatever that was in him, no way! It had to be a drug of some kind (and he had to have already been drugged, because he  _ refused _ to believe that woman’s claws were anything but a hallucination). 

Lust uncorked the vial and dumped whatever was inside it in his wound. 

Immediately, intense pain spread through his entire body. He screamed. 

Envy leaned down to whisper in his ear. “See ya around, kid.” 

* * *

That had definitely been some kind of weird drug and Ling was  _ definitely _ hallucinating. There was no other way to explain the disembodied voice he heard. 

As his body jerked and spasmed, some adverse reaction to whatever he’d been dosed with. Crazy laughter rang inside his head. He banged his head against the table, trying to dislodge it. “Get out! Get it out! What the hell is happening!?”

Envy’s deranged laughter joined the laughter in his head. “Oh, get a load of this bastard!” they howled. “Greed’s gonna have a good time smothering his soul.” 

The pain in his head intensified, and he was so close to blacking out. So  _ close. _ Maybe he should stop fighting it. Maybe he  _ should _ just black out. The pain would stop, and maybe the crazy voice would too. 

_ Yeah, that’s it, brat. Give up control.  _

Ling passed out. 

* * *

He got little snippets. 

Snippets of his body moving, even though he wasn’t controlling it. He (not him? He didn’t know), got flashes of screaming, blood, claws. 

“Greed, what the hell are you doing!?” 

More blood. More screaming. 

Was he screaming? He thought he might have been. 

_ Shut up, pissant.  _

He was definitely screaming. 

_ I’m getting us away from my fucked up family. You got somewhere we can hide out?  _

Ling gained enough awareness to realize someone was talking to him. “What?” His mouth didn’t move with the word, but whoever he was talking to heard it, all the same. 

_ Somewhere to go! So we’re not passed out on the street and getting arrested ‘cause we’re covered in blood! Let’s go, bastard! Come on!  _

“Uh… home?” he suggested. “My apartment?” 

_ Works for me, _ the voice said.  _ Tell me how to get there.  _

Everything started to get hazy again. 

_ Hey! Much as I hate it, we gotta work together right now. So don’t go fucking tapping out! Tell me how to get to your apartment!  _

Ling managed to tell the voice the address. “Sorry… that’s all I got…” 

Everything went dark again. 

* * *

Somehow, someway, Ling woke up in his bed the next morning. He had himself half convinced the entire nightmare had been just that… a nightmare. 

Then he saw the dried blood on his hands and clothes. “Oh no…” He couldn’t remember everything. He remembered those people grabbing him, them drugging him, and then those weird flashes that  _ must _ have been some crazy acid trip. Right?  _ Right?  _

_ Not quite, kid.  _

Ling slammed against the wall. “What the hell?” 

_ Ling, right? Alright, listen, here’s the deal.  _

Ling madly glanced around his bedroom, but there was no one there. “I’m going crazy. I’m going  _ insane.”  _

The voice cackled.  _ Nah, not really.  _

“Who are you?” Ling demanded.  _ “What _ are you?” 

_ Name’s Greed, _ the voice said.  _ And I’m a demon.  _

“Demon?” Ling squeaked, still pressed into the corner. “You’re a demon?” 

_ Eh? You hard of hearing? The fuck did I just say?  _ Greed snarled. 

“I’m possessed…” he muttered, staring at his bloody hands in horror. “What did you  _ do!?”  _

_ Relax, _ Greed purred.  _ I just took care of my jackass siblings so we could get out of there. And yeah, you’re possessed. Unfortunately for both of us, we’re stuck.  _

“Go possess someone else!” Ling shouted. 

The demon laughed.  _ It doesn’t work like that, fucking moron!  _

Ling slid down the wall and grabbed his pillow. He was one move away from having a freakout. He was possessed. Fucking _possessed!_ What was he supposed to do now!? 

Then he remembered he’d had a paper due the night before, and somehow, being possessed became the least of his problems. “Oh shit, my paper!” 


	2. Step Two: threaten to destroy their soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaand I'm already back, but I have no life, so what else is there to be doing 
> 
> (Also, thanks for all the nice comments on the first chapter :D)

Ling managed to tune the demon out long enough to send his professor an email, more or less begging for an extension (that he was probably not going to get but he could panic about that when the time came). 

He also had a voicemail from Ed. “Ling! Where the fuck are you?” He jerked the phone away from his ear. God, did he  _ have _ to yell constantly? “I got back at three and left at five and you weren’t home! Whatever. I’m gonna be gone all day, but Winry’s coming by to pick up some knives for me later, so let her in if you’re around. She can pick the lock if she has to but that’s just a hassle.” The voicemail ended. 

_ Well he sounds obnoxious. _

Ling jumped,  _ still _ not used to another voice in his head. “Could you cut that out?” he demanded. “Seriously,  _ please _ go possess someone else. I’m sure there are plenty of nice bodies out there that are much better than mine.” 

_ I told you, it doesn’t work that way. Fuckin’ wish it would, prick. You think I’m happy like this? Your stupid fucking soul is too powerful to consume.  _

“Shut up!” he hissed, clutching at his head. “Wait…  _ what _ about my soul?” 

Greed laughed.  _ What, you thought I let you keep control of my body out of the goodness of my heart?  _

“It’s my body!” Ling argued, jumping off the couch to pace the length of the apartment. “And what did you  _ mean _ about my soul?” 

_ When demons possess someone, they absorb the human’s soul. Kills ‘em, and we get the body.  _ Your _ fucking soul is too powerful for me to consume. So come on. What are you? A witch? Your apartment’s filled with wards and all kinds of shit. Only reason I’m good is ‘cause I got you. _

“Oh my god…” Ling fell back onto the couch. “He’s really a witch…” He just assumed Ed liked the aesthetic! Not that he was doing actual witchcraft! 

_ Come on, _ Greed prompted.  _ Are ya a witch?  _

“No! I didn’t even know witchcraft was legit!” he shouted. God, this was so much to wrap his head around. Magic was real, demons were real, and he was smack in the middle of it. 

_ Well you’re something. No regular human soul feels like this. Eh, whatever, I’ll chip away at it, so enjoy the control while it lasts.  _

“Hey! No, no, no, no! Don’t go messing with my soul!” Subconsciously, he kept looking around the apartment for whoever he was talking to, unused to having a conversation with someone he couldn’t  _ see.  _

_ Tch. Not up to you. This body’s mine now.  _

Ling shook his head. “No, no way. There’s got to be some way to get…  _ this _ fixed. Like… an exorcism. Yeah! Yeah, those are things!” 

Somehow, he felt that Greed was rolling his eyes.  _ You really think the Catholics got any of this shit right?  _

“Of course they didn’t…” he muttered. He groaned. There had to be  _ some _ way. Maybe Ed would know. If he really  _ was _ a witch, he had to know his way around this kind of stuff? Yeah, that sounded like a plan. He’d ask Ed. 

Someone knocked on the door, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. “Jesus Christ!” 

“Ling? Are you home?” Winry asked, voice muffled by the door. 

“Oh hell…” Ling glanced down at his hands and clothes, still covered in dried blood. He’d been too distracted and worked up to remember to shower. That’d probably raise a few questions. 

But Ed said she’d pick the lock, so it wasn’t like he could really ignore her. “One second!” he called. He sprinted to his bedroom, pulling his shirt off as quickly as possible and throwing a clean one on. He was all too aware of Greed laughing at him as he panicked. 

He scrubbed his hands in the bathroom sink, managing to get most of the blood off his hands and arms, but was too distracted to realize it had splattered across his face and neck as well. 

Finally he ran across the apartment to open the door. “Hey, Winry. What’s up?” 

“Uh…” She gave him a weird look. “Is that blood on your face?” 

_ Shit.  _

Greed howled with laughter.  _ You’re fucking awful at this kid!  _

“No…?” he tried, knowing she would never believe him. Winry was one of the smartest people he knew. He had a theory that she’d actually somehow absorbed all of Ed’s common sense through osmosis or something. 

“Uh huh…” She stepped inside the apartment and started towards Ed’s room to retrieve the weaponry she’d been sent for. 

_ Something feels off about her, _ Greed muttered. 

“Would you shut up?” Ling hissed. 

“What was that?” Winry asked, poking her head out of Ed’s room. 

“Nothing!” he said, holding his hands up. 

She frowned. “Are you feeling okay, Ling? You look… a little spooked.” 

He waved her off. “I’m fine. I was just up late, is all. Schoolwork and stuff, you know?” He laughed, but it sounded very forced. 

“If you’re sure…” She disappeared back into Ed’s room. 

Ling wondered if she knew about the magic and demon stuff. She had to, right? She’d grown up with Ed, and was weirdly okay with all of his oddities. Not to mention she was the one who fixed him up when he got injured. It made less sense for her to  _ not _ know. Maybe he should talk to her about this… 

_ Wouldn’t advise that, _ Greed said. 

“And why the hell not?” Ling demanded quietly. 

_ I thought you were the witch, still not convinced you’re not, but if you’re not, I’d stay away from witches. They don’t take kindly to demons. And that girl’s got something witchy about her, so if you get her involved, it’s gonna end with me killing her before she can cause a problem, got it?  _

“I thought you couldn’t take control of me until you destroyed my soul,” he said. 

_ It’s hard, not impossible. I could wrestle control for long enough to get rid of her, _ he said.  _ But you gotta realize, kid. Witches don’t care if they gotta kill you to get to me. Your life’s on the line here just as much as mine.  _

“Demons lie,” he said. That was like a basic demonic trait, right? Lying to get what they wanted? If Winry and Ed could help him, of course Greed wouldn’t want them to, _right?_

_ I don’t lie. Never lied in my life. Not my thing.  _

“Oh? Then what  _ is _ your thing?” Ling asked. 

_ The name didn’t clue you? I’m  _ Greed. _ I want everything. Money and women and power and sex and glory— _

“Okay, I get it,” he muttered. 

“Ling?” Winry asked. “Who are you talking to?” She closed the door to Ed’s bedroom, and twirled a pair of daggers in her hands as she approached. 

Ling froze, like a deer in the headlights. “No one.” 

_ Think you should stop lying, too. You fucking suck at it. _

Ling had to bite his tongue to keep from snapping back a retort. 

“You’re  _ sure _ you’re okay?” she asked, concern obvious in her features. “You don’t seem like it.” 

He nodded. “I’m fine, Winry. Promise.” He wanted  _ so badly _ to tell her he was possessed, to beg her for some kind of help, but if Greed wasn’t lying… and witches really would kill him just to kill Greed, well… He didn’t want to risk it. He liked to think of Ed and Winry as friends by this point, but they really hadn’t known each other that long. Not to mention that Ed was a little unhinged, so… 

“Well, okay,” she said. “Guess I’ll see you around, Ling.” 

* * *

He spent the afternoon trying to find someway to shut Greed up, because he  _ really _ liked listening to the sound of his own voice, but nothing he did worked. At one point he’d practically begged him to shut up, but the demon just laughed at him. 

He was laying face down on the floor, resigned to his fate as a demonic vessel, when his phone rang. With a groan, he dug it out of his pocket and answered it. “Yeah?” 

“Ling! Why weren’t you in class today?” Lan Fan demanded. 

Oh hell, he’d forgotten about his class today! First his paper, and now his class! This damn demon was going to destroy his grades, that were just barely hanging on as it was. “Uh… It’s been a rough day.” 

“What happened?” Lan Fan asked, voice shifting from accusatory to concerned. 

Would she believe him? Probably not. And even if she did, Ling really didn’t feel like explaining. “Nothing.” 

“Nothing?” she drawled. 

Oh no. He knew that voice. She was going to kill him for lying. 

“I’m coming over.” 

“Wait—”

She hung up. 

He rolled over with a groan. It would be great if everyone would just leave him alone to have his existential crisis and subsequent meltdown in peace. “You know at this rate, I might just let you eat my soul.” He  _ was not _ equipped to deal with demons and witches who wanted to kill him. 

Greed hummed.  _ I didn’t think you were someone who would give up that easily. It hasn’t even got bad yet.  _

“I beg your pardon?” How was this not  _ bad?  _

_ No witches actually know about me yet, and my crazy family hasn’t hunted me back down. Envy and Lust are gonna be pissed that I shredded them like that.  _

“Oh my god… you pissed off other  _ demons?”  _ Ling demanded. 

_ They pissed me off first. Killed me, tried to erase my memories. Fucking pricks.  _

Ling jerked into a sitting position. “Oh my god. Oh my  _ god! _ I’m gonna die! I’m gonna get ripped to pieces! Why me?” He flopped back down onto the floor. “What did I ever do to you, God?” 

Greed laughed.  _ God doesn’t give a shit about what we do. Actually, it was probably your witchy roommate that got you fucked over like this. _

“What?” Ling asked. 

_ I’ll bet you anything Envy and Lust targeted you ‘cause you had been spending so much time with him. You  _ reek _ of witch.  _

“Still don’t understand how you mistook him for Fullmetal…” he muttered. 

_ What? _ Greed demanded. 

“That’s what they said when they grabbed me. Lust was yelling at Envy for mistaking me for someone named Fullmetal,” he said. 

_ You’re kidding me. You live with  _ Fullmetal? _ That’s it! I knew that little blonde bitch seemed familiar. She works with him! Yeah, you  _ better _ not tell him you’re fucking possessed, _ Greed growled.  _ I  _ do not _ want to deal with him right now.  _

“Wait, you know Ed?” 

_ Yes. _

“How?” 

Greed didn’t answer. 

“Oh, so  _ now _ you decide to shut up?” Ling huffed and rolled his eyes. Stupid demon. “You’re useless, you know that? You’re just leaving me to deal with all the problems you create and freak out about all the different things that evidently want us dead!” 

The apartment door swung open. “Ling!” 

Oh. Ling had forgotten Lan Fan still had a key. 

“What the hell are you doing on the floor?” she asked, walking over to stand over him. 

“Having a great time,” he said. “Why? What’s up?” 

She glared at him. “You weren’t in class today.” 

He sighed. “That was actually completely accidental. I  _ did not _ mean to skip. I swear!” 

She growled, and he scrambled to his feet, deciding he didn’t want to give his best friend any advantages if she decided to tackle him. He hadn’t been able to win a fight with her since they were little kids. It’d only gotten worse since they started college and Lan Fan became a gym rat. Ling was pretty sure she could bench press him. 

“Hey, Ed thinks we’re in an ultimate frisbee league,” he said. “Think we should join one?” 

_ Oh my god, you better fucking not, _ Greed hissed. 

Great.  _ Of course _ he wouldn’t stay quiet for long. 

Lan Fan rolled her eyes. “Ed thinks a lot of things. Ed thinks he has a right to say he’s average height. Now seriously, what’s up with you? You don’t look good. When was the last time you  _ slept? " _

Did it count as sleeping if you were knocked out by kidnappers, then blacked out while possessed and your body was used to fight other demons? Probably not… “I think I slept a couple hours last night.” He had no idea what time they’d stumbled back home. Sometime after five, according to Ed’s very loud voicemail. 

“You  _ think?” _ she demanded. 

“Uh…” He took a step backwards. “Well… most of the night was a little fuzzy…” 

“Oh my god, you went out and got plastered,” she said. 

“No!” he exclaimed, wildly waving his arms. “Absolutely not! No, I did not!” 

_ Honestly, you should have gone with that, kid.  _

Lan Fan narrowed her eyes. “Then what did you do?” 

“Er…” He’d really dug himself a hole, hadn’t he? “Well…” While he was desperately trying to come up with a plausible lie, the apartment door burst open. 

A blonde woman marched into the apartment. “Are you Ling Yao?” 

Due to recent events, Ling immediately assumed this woman was here to kill him. So he grabbed Lan Fan’s hand and sprinted towards the door, that was barely clinging to its hinges. 

“Ling, what the hell?” Lan Fan demanded as she tried to wrench herself out of his hold. 

_ Feel like I should tell you that woman’s some kind of demon, _ Greed said. 

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, of course she is!” he whined. “I’m so sick of this already!” 

The woman moved just as fast. She grabbed Ling’s shoulder and shoved him against the wall. She leaned much too close for comfort, sharp brown eyes examining him. 

“Who the hell are you?” Lan Fan tried to pry the woman off him, but she didn’t budge. 

_ Oh shit… She’s someone’s familiar, _ Greed said.  _ She’s got witch scent all over her.  _

Ling pressed back against the wall as the woman sniffed at him. “Oh yeah,” she said. “You’re definitely possessed.” 

_ “What?”  _ Lan Fan stared at Ling. “Ling, what the hell is going on!?” 

The woman backed off. “Name’s Riza Hawkeye. Winry suspected you might be possessed but were fighting back against it, so she sent me to come get you. Come on. Let’s go.” 

“Uh…” Ling stayed firmly pressed against the wall. “How do I know you’re not just going to kill me?” 

Lan Fan jumped to stand in front of him protectively. “You’re not going anywhere with him. You’re crazy!” 

_ Alright kid, I’m not letting us get gutted by someone’s familiar.  _

“Wait—” 

Greed managed to shove him back into his mind, and just like that, Ling lost any control he had over his body. 

It was  _ terrifying.  _

He still felt it move, and could see and hear what was happening, but he couldn’t affect any of it! 

Greed shoved Lan Fan away and stopped cowering against the wall. He bared his teeth. “Alright,  _ Hawkeye, _ run back to whatever witch holds your leash and I won’t snap your fucking neck.” The voice that came out of his mouth didn’t sound like his own, it was much deeper. 

“Wha— _ Ling!” _ Lan Fan exclaimed. 

Hawkeye grabbed her and pushed her back. “That’s not Ling anymore. And I’m guessing you’re Greed, since you’re the only one of the Seven we haven’t seen in a while.” 

“What’s it to you?” Greed asked. “I told you to fuck off and—”

Hawkeye sighed and pulled a gun out of her waistband. She pressed it against Greed’s,  _ his, _ forehead. 

Lan Fan screamed, and Hawkeye pulled the trigger. 


	3. Step Three: get them involved in a secret witch society

Ling had never expected to get shot in the head. And if for some horrific reason he was, he never expected to live to tell about it. 

Getting shot in the head was  _ not _ a pleasurable experience. 

At first, he hadn’t even realized it had  _ happened.  _ He heard the bang, felt his head  _ crack open, _ and everything went dark for a split second. Lan Fan’s scream echoed in his head, and Greed was pushed back, giving Ling control of his body again. 

By the time he recovered enough to scream, the pain had disappeared, and he opened his eyes to see Riza Hawkeye leaning over him. “Ah, nice to see you again, Ling.” 

“What…” He pressed his hand against his head, not really sure what he was expecting. Had he actually be shot? There was no way, because he was _alive._ There was no wound, not even blood. So what the hell had  _ that _ been? 

She offered him her hand and pulled him to his feet. “Sorry about that, kid.” She tucked the gun back into her waistband. “Fatal wounds are the easiest ways to force back a demon that doesn’t have a strong grip on its host.” 

“Wha—What is going  _ on?” _ Lan Fan demanded, grabbing onto Ling for dear life. “You were dead! You were fucking dead on the floor! You had a  _ hole _ through your head!” She touched his forehead, as if making sure there  _ wasn’t _ a bullet hole through his skull. 

“Ah…” He took a step back. “I don’t… I’m not…” 

_ I can’t believe she fucking shot me point blank like that! _ Greed exclaimed. 

“Well you _did_ threaten to kill her,” Ling said. “By the way, how come you didn’t _mention_ _insane healing powers?”_

_ I got stabbed through the chest last night by Lust, thought you figured it out, dumbass.  _

“No I don’t remember getting stabbed through the chest!” He exclaimed as he clutched at his chest. 

“Ling, who the  _ fuck _ are you talking to?” Lan Fan demanded. 

Hawkeye narrowed her eyes. “He’s talking to you?” 

Ling nodded. “He never shuts up, actually.” 

Her mouth pressed into a thin line. “We really need to go. I never thought you would be possessed by one of the Seven when Winry told me her suspicions. This is… I’m not going to lie to you, this is looking pretty bad for you.” 

“Please!” Lan Fan grabbed onto Ling’s arm. “Someone please tell me what’s going on!” 

Ling sighed. She’d basically been told anyways. “Yeah, um, I might have gotten possessed by a demon.” He laughed nervously. 

Her eyes widened. “You… you can’t be serious…” 

Hawkeye eyed Lan Fan. “You are more than welcome to come with us, young lady. Your friend is likely going to need you.” 

_ Don’t go with her, _ Greed said. 

“Why not?” Ling asked. 

_ Told you. She’s someone’s familiar.  _

“I don’t know what that means!” he shouted. 

“Ling!” Lan Fan exclaimed. 

Hawkeye hushed her. “He’s talking to the demon. Just let him be.” 

_ It means she works with witches. God, how fucking dumb are you? She’s gonna drag us back to whatever witch she works for and then they’re gonna kill us!  _

Ling stared at Hawkeye, and he took slow steps away from her. 

_ She already shot you once.  _

“I don’t know what he’s telling you,” Hawkeye said, evidently noticing the fear in his eyes. “But I’m not going to hurt you. Not severely enough that his healing factor can’t take care of, anyways. I want to  _ help _ you. I can get Winry on the phone, if that would make you feel better?”

He shook his head. Greed had freaked him out over her, too. “I… I need  _ help, _ but… I don’t…” 

_ Fine. Go ahead. Get us both killed, fucking idiot.  _

Hawkeye nodded. “I understand. You don’t trust me. I’m sure he told you witches kill demons, right? But he also told you I’m a demon, too?” 

Lan Fan gasped and Ling nodded. 

“Right. So doesn’t that prove they don’t kill  _ all _ demons?” she asked. “And you’re possessed by one of the most powerful demons to ever exist. We want to question him. He’s too valuable, not to mention difficult, for us to just kill. So you’re going to be fine. We can  _ help _ you.” 

“Ling… I think you should listen to her,” Lan Fan said. “I don’t think this is something you can figure out on your own, and  _ I _ definitely don’t know anything about it.” 

Greed snarled.  _ Don’t you fucking dare!  _

“Okay,” Ling said. “I’ll go with you.” 

* * *

The entire way there, Ling had to listen to Greed yell about how stupid he was. He was really doing wonders for his self esteem. 

Hawkeye had put him and Lan Fan in the backseat of her car. “You can take pictures of me and the license plate,” she said. “It’ll probably make you feel better.” 

Ling wasn’t sure how that would help them if they were already dead in a ditch somewhere, but the sentiment was nice. 

_ I still can’t believe you took the lady’s candy, _ Greed said. 

“You have no right to complain about what I do,” Ling muttered.  _ “Especially _ after you conveniently forgot to mention I could survive getting shot in the head now!”

Lan Fan eyed him warily. 

“Sorry,” he said. “Sometimes he’s hard to ignore.” 

“No, no, it’s just…” She sighed. “How do you get into messes like these? This all happened because I wasn’t around! I’m supposed…” She shook her head. 

“Nah, it’s not your fault. Just bad luck,” he said. 

_ Shittiest luck I’ve ever seen in my life.  _

Ling grit his teeth. “Could you not… for five seconds. Just shut up, for  _ five seconds!” _

_ No, you went with the familiar, and got me shot in the head,  _ he said. 

“Hey, no!  _ You _ got  _ me _ shot in the head, not the other way around!” he argued. 

Hawkeye glanced at them in the rearview mirror and chuckled. “I have to admit, you have adjusted to this fairly well.” 

“Oh no, trust me. I’m freaking out internally,” Ling said. 

_ Tell me about it. I’m pretty sure there’s a fucking siren going off somewhere in your head.  _

“So… you work with Ed, right?” Lan Fan asked as she stared out the window, most definitely keeping track of where they were in the city. 

Hawkeye hummed. “Yes, in a way. Ed is… a little unconventional, and he doesn’t exactly play well with others, as I’m sure you know by now.” 

“Yeah, no kidding,” Ling couldn’t help but mutter. 

“But we do work for the same organization, even if he does mostly his own thing,” she said. “Winry works for us too, on occasion. She’s more of a freelancer though.” 

“So… I don’t know if this is considered an invasive question or not,” Ling said. “But if you’re a demon, what happened to the person you’re possessing?” 

She shook her head. “I’m not possessing anyone. This is my… well, not my  _ true _ form, but close to it.” 

“You don’t  _ have  _ to possess someone?” Ling wasn’t sure if he was asking Greed or Hawkeye. 

_ ‘Course I do. Think I’d be fuckin’ stuck in you if I didn’t? _ Greed huffed. 

“There’s… certain ways around needing a vessel,” Hawkeye said. “However, I’m afraid it’s unlikely they’ll work for your demon. Greed is…” She sighed. “He’s had a few run ins with our organization in the past, and from what I’ve heard, he’d be against them.” 

_ Yeah, and I don’t like you either. _

“What happened?” he asked. 

“I think it’s best if I let my master explain,” she said. “I’m just meant to get you. Technically, I’m not even supposed to know a lot of this.” 

“Master?” Ling echoed. 

_ Stupid bitch. That’s why you don’t work with witches.  _

Hawkeye smiled softly. “Oh, he’s not so bad.” 

“What do you mean?” Ling asked, quiet enough that hopefully Hawkeye wouldn’t hear. 

_ The demons who cave to witch authority?  _ Greed scoffed.  _ They bind them. She’s bein’ literal when she talks about a master. He controls her every move. She’s basically a slave.  _

“Oh…” That… didn’t sound fair. He obviously knew nothing about demons, and Hawkeye… she seemed nice enough, even if she was a little odd. It wasn’t fair that their options were death or slavery. 

Greed was an asshole, obviously. But from the sound of it, other demons hadn’t treated him the greatest (if they really had tried to kill him and erase his memories), and he was on the run from witches. He was backed into a corner, just like Ling. 

_ Hey! I’m doing just fine, don’t lump me in with you, brat! _ Greed snapped. 

Ling scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Sure, whatever.” 

* * *

“Uh… This is just a shifty antique shop,” Lan Fan said as they got out of the car. 

“Oh my god…” Ling smacked himself in the face. “I should have known.  _ Of course _ Ed couldn’t handle a retail job. He’d fly off the handle in  _ seconds.” _ It was obvious, really. The insane hours, never showing up on time, his abrasive personality that would have gotten him fired in seconds. Ling really should have guessed he was a witch and a member of a secret society within minutes of meeting him. 

Hawkeye chuckled. A little bell rang when she opened the door. 

“Hi, Riza!” a woman shouted, leaning over the cluttered counter that contained the cash register. “Oooo, who’s this? New recruits?” 

“Hey, Rebecca. And no. This is Ling and Lan Fan. They’re having a bit of… demon trouble.” Hawkeye motioned for them to come further inside. 

“Oh?” Rebecca leaned across the counter. “You look like you haven’t slept in two days.” 

“I haven’t,” Ling deadpanned. 

Greed cackled. 

“Poor thing,” Rebecca said. “Riza, you gotta help him out. If he got some decent sleep and brushed his hair, he might be kinda cute.” 

Ling wasn’t sure if he should be flattered, or offended. “That’s not really a priority right now.” 

Hawkeye rolled her eyes. “Quit flirting with him, Rebecca, you’re about a thousand years too old for him.” 

Rebecca stuck her tongue out at her. 

“She’s another demon?” Ling asked. She looked completely human! Shouldn’t demons look at least  _ kind of _ other-worldly? 

_ She’s a weak one,  _ Greed said.  _ Another familiar, too. I wonder who owns all these familiars. Usually groups of witches only own one or two, but I sense a lot here.  _

Ling frowned. “Own? You shouldn’t own other people.” 

_ I own you, _ Greed said, and Ling could  _ hear _ the smirk. 

“No you don’t!” he argued. 

_ Yeah, you’re mine now.  _

He frowned, deciding not to humor him with another response. 

_ “Ooohhhh.”  _ Rebecca nodded. “I see. He’s possessed. Alright, head on back. Mustang and Havoc are in. I’m sure Alphonse will be back soon, too. Oh! Winry’s still here as well.” 

“Olivier?” Hawkeye asked. 

Rebecca shook her head. “Nope! She left with Miles and Buccaneer about an hour ago. Said they’ll be gone a while.” 

“Good.” She gave Ling a wary look. “She was the only one I was worried about.” 

Lan Fan, who had previously been distracted by all the bits and bobs on the counter, tuned back in. “Worried about what?” 

Hawkeye shrugged. “She’d want to kill him to get to Greed.” She headed towards the back of the shop, gesturing for them to follow. 

_ Told you they’d want us dead, _ Greed said. 

“Yeah, I didn’t really doubt you on that, man. I was just running out of options,” Ling said. 

Lan Fan stayed pressed to Ling’s side, like she thought someone or something was going to jump out and attack him. “You better not die,” she muttered. “And tell that demon as soon as we get him out of you I’m going to kill him.” 

Greed laughed.  _ I like her.  _

“Oh, he can hear everything you say,” he said. 

“Oh yeah?” she said. “Well fuck you, demon.” 

Greed laughed harder, and even Ling started to snicker. 

Lan Fan poked at a snow globe as they passed a shelf of them. “Wait, is this place actually a functioning shop?” 

Hawkeye nodded. “Have to keep up the front. And it’s really easy to hide the occult in a place like this.” 

“Oh my god,  _ does _ Ed actually do retail work?” Ling demanded. 

She shook her head. “No, Rebecca and Fuery do most of it. Occasionally Havoc will work some.” She pushed open the door to one of the back offices. “Sir?” 

“Ah, Hawkeye, you took a little longer than expected. I was beginning to worry something had happened,” a man with dark hair said. 

“Were you doubting my abilities, sir?” she asked. 

He smirked. “Of course not. I was more concerned you’d killed the unfortunate soul.”

_ As if a demon that weak could kill me, _ Greed muttered. 

“Ling!” Winry jumped out of a chair and hugged him. “Why didn’t you tell me something was wrong?” she asked. “Lan Fan, what are you doing here?” 

“You know Ling can’t function without me,” she said. 

Ling rolled his eyes. “Not true. And I…” He sighed. “He said he’d kill you if I told you,” he told Winry.  _ And I didn’t want to risk  _ you _ killing  _ me. 

Winry frowned. “Well, I will say it’s a relief to know  _ you _ didn’t kill anyone.” 

He shook his head. “No, that was other demon blood. I think.” 

_ It was, so don’t have a break down over it, _ Greed said. 

“Other demon blood?” Winry asked. 

“Ah, Winry,” the man said. “Would you mind showing this young lady around? I have some things I’d like to discuss with Ling, here.” 

Winry frowned and Lan Fan tried to protest. 

“Havoc, why don’t you go with them?” the man said. 

Ling’s eyes widened as the blonde man who had been hidden behind Winry stood up. He didn’t need Greed to tell him that  _ this _ was a demon. The pointed ears, sharp teeth, and slit pupils gave it away. “Right this way, ladies,” he said, gesturing to the door. 

Lan Fan still looked suspicious. 

“Don’t worry,” Winry muttered. “Hawkeye and Mustang really do want to help.” 

Ling did his best to give her a reassuring smile as she left the little office. 

“So, Ling, right? I’m Roy Mustang, and I’m second in command here.” The man stood up from his desk and offered Ling his hand. 

Ling obliged. “Yeah, I’m Ling. And I guess I’m here about… ah, you know… Greed.” 

Mustang raised his eyebrows.  _ “Greed?” _ He looked to Hawkeye for an explanation. 

_ Great, fucking hate this bastard, _ Greed muttered.  _ Damned fire witch.  _

“Is there anyone you get along with?” Ling asked. 

_ No. I either own them or they’re my enemy. That’s how this works, _ he said. 

Hawkeye ignored him. “Yes, sir. I spoke to him, for a few seconds. It’s definitely him.” 

Mustang groaned. “This is going to be so much paperwork.” He fell back into his desk chair. “Alright, kid. How did this even happen?” 

Ling shrugged. “I was walking home last night, and these two people grabbed me, Envy and Lust. Knocked me out, and when I came too they shoved this asshole in me—”

_ Watch it.  _

“And I blacked out. I got little flashes of Greed… fighting Lust and Envy? I don’t know, it’s kind of unclear. Hey, you mind telling me if that’s what actually happened?” he asked. 

_ Yeah, I kicked their asses. What the hell else did you think that was?  _ he snarked 

Ling nodded. “Yeah, he fought Envy and Lust. Then I woke up at home. And yeah… that’s pretty much it.” 

Mustang frowned. “He betrayed the other Seven?” 

“Well, it’s not like he was exactly aligned with them to begin with,” Hawkeye said as she moved to stand beside Mustang. “I’m more surprised that he’s not dead.” 

“What are they talking about?” Ling asked. 

_ I don’t exactly get on with my family, kid. Thought you would have figured that out by now.  _

Ling frowned and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Be honest, is there anyway for me to get out of this mess?” 

Mustang sighed. “Once a demon possesses someone, that’s it. That’s  _ their  _ body now. Removing them is about the same level of difficulty as removing a human soul from its original body.” He ran his hand down his face. “It’s a strong bond.” 

Ling gestured to Hawkeye. “But she says that’s her actual body, so there has to be  _ some _ way.” 

_ You’re wasting your time, _ Greed muttered. 

Mustang and Hawkeye exchanged a glance. “That’s because I chose to become a familiar,” she said. “As my master, Mustang’s magic sustains my true form. So unless Greed is willing to become a familiar—”

_I am _not, he snapped 

“He said he’s not,” Ling said. 

Hawkeye cut herself off and nodded. “I suspected as much. Aside from that, there’s not a way, especially with how…” She smirked.  _ “Weak _ he is at the moment.” 

Greed scoffed. 

“Great…” Ling muttered. “So now what? That’s it? I wait for him to eat my soul, or whatever?” 

“No,” Mustang said. “I wasn’t expecting you to deliver one of the Seven right up to our doorstep. We can work with this.” 

“Sir?” Hawkeye asked. 

“I want to speak to Greed directly,” Mustang said. 

_ Alright brat, hand over the body.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Ling. He's just never gonna not be confused
> 
> Also I'm about to do some snazzy world building because I am incapable of writing anything without world building


	4. Step Four: force them into a supernatural turf war

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot? In MY fanfiction? It's more likely than you think
> 
> Also get ready for the 320834019837 different POVs cuz anyone who's ever read anything I've ever written knows I can't stick with just one

Lan Fan still couldn’t quite believe what was happening. 

She’d known Ling her whole life, they’d  _ grown up _ together. He practically lived with her and her family, since his family… wasn’t exactly the greatest. He’d been a scrawny cry-baby when they were younger, making him an easy target for other kids. The only reason they stopped picking on him was because their classmates learned that targeting Ling, meant you had to deal with Lan Fan, and  _ no one _ wanted to do that. She’d been protecting him his whole life! 

It wasn’t that she thought he couldn’t take care of himself, especially now that they were older, but… Well, she couldn’t help but worry. He could be a little ditsy, and be entirely too nice to everybody. 

They had lived together for the first two years of college, and it was great. Then her grandfather had gotten too old to live on his own (despite what he claimed), so she’d had to move out. Ling had assured her it was okay, especially after he found Ed. 

But she couldn’t help but worry. Sure, they still saw each other pretty much everyday, but it was less than she was used to. 

Turns out she was completely justified in her worry! 

She left Ling to live without her for a few months, and he went and got himself  _ possessed.  _ Lan Fan hadn’t even  _ believed _ in demons, and yet here they were, with one taking up residence in her best friend’s body. 

She still wasn’t entirely sure how it had even  _ happened, _ and even if she had been there, she doubted she would have been able to do anything to prevent demonic possession, but she still felt guilty over it. 

Winry and the other demon, Havoc, led her through the antique shop’s different rooms. It was a lot bigger than it had seemed from the outside. Some kind of magic, maybe? Or just a good use of space? 

“You doing okay, Lan Fan?” Winry asked. 

“Hm? Oh yeah, I’m fine,” she said. She didn’t know Winry real well, she’d only met her a couple times, but she seemed like a nice girl, if a little odd at times. Lan Fan suspected that Ed just kept odd company, though, and anyone even remotely associated with him was weird. “It’s all just… a lot.” 

“Guess I can understand that,” Winry said. “I grew up surrounded by this stuff so it was always normal to me. Might be a bit of a shock to anyone else.” 

Lan Fan fiddled with the hilt of a sword on the weapons rack she was inspecting. “Guess you could say that.” 

“Hey, don’t worry about your boyfriend,” Havoc said. “Mustang’ll figure something out for him.” 

“He’s not my boyfriend,” she said. Then she turned to stare at him. “So  _ you’re _ a demon.” Obviously he was. He didn’t seem concerned with a human disguise like Hawkeye and Rebecca. 

“Mmhm. I’m one of the younger ones though, only a couple hundred years old,” he said as he leaned against the wall and shoved his hands in his pockets. 

“That’s  _ young?” _ she demanded. How old was the demon possessing Ling? 

He smirked. “Yep.” 

She glanced between him and Winry. She knew they were just distracting her from… whatever that man had wanted with Ling, but maybe she could learn some things from them. “Alright, I’ve got questions, and as a witch and a demon, I’m guessing you’ll have answers.” 

“I’d like to think so,” Havoc said. 

Winry nodded. “Yeah, and unlike him, I can actually answer most of them, since I don’t technically work for these people, and I’m not under orders to keep my mouth shut.” She offered her a reassuring smile. 

Havoc rolled his eyes. “You think I listen to those? What Armstrong doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” 

Lan Fan frowned. “Right…” At least they were willing to talk to her. “I guess first off, is who  _ are _ you people? Obviously you’ve got a type of… organization, or something?”

“Amestris,” Havoc said. 

“It’s an organization of witches that fight demons,” Winry added. 

Her frown deepened. “But not all witches are a part of it,  _ and _ demons can join?” 

Havoc shook his head and dug a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. “Hell no, demons can’t join.” 

“But—” she started. 

“I’m a familiar, honey,” he said as he lit a cigarette. “I don’t have any rights, and just do exactly what I’m told or I get put down.” 

Her eyes widened. “That’s  _ awful.” _

“So are demons. Honestly, this is the better option. At least the witches ain’t killing each other,” he said, before frowning. “Well, most of the time. Besides, I got lucky. Fuery’s a nice guy, decent master. I got off a lot better than most.” 

“Still,” she said. “Are all demons evil? Or did a lot of religions kind of… paint you all with a broad brush?” 

Havoc flicked his ashes off to the side and Winry glared at him. “Depends who you’re asking. Obviously I’m gonna say no, we aren’t. A lot of witches say we are, and familiars only keep themselves in check because of their masters. It’s a bit different in this branch of Amestris, so we’ve got a few witches on our side. Not a lot though.” 

Winry sighed and leaned against the wall next to Havoc. “Not all demons are evil. The only reason I help out in this branch of Amestris is because they believe that. Well, and Ed.” She held her hand to her chest. “I’m a witch, but I’m not technically a member of Amestris. I never approved of them. I’m only mildly okay with this particular branch because of how they treat their familiars, and how much they protect regular humans.” 

Lan Fan crossed her arms. “So what? Demons and witches both suck, but this place is the least sucky?” 

Winry and Havoc exchanged a glance and shrugged. “I guess,” Havoc said. 

“I’d say that’s a fair assessment,” Winry added. 

She hummed. Leave it to Ling to end up friends with people like this. “So if not all witches are part of this… Amestris, are there other organizations?” 

Havoc let out a breath. “Oh boy. Yeah, there are.” 

Winry’s eyes darkened. “Most of them aren’t a fan of Amestris.” She glared at Havoc. “Because you guys are  _ so damn aggressive.” _

He shrugged. “I can’t help what the higher ups make us do.” 

Winry turned back to Lan Fan. “But yes, there’s other groups. Drachma, Xing… Ishval, though they’re pretty much gone now.” 

Havoc grimaced. 

“But you’re not a member of any of them?” Lan Fan asked. 

She shook her head. “Nope! I actually don’t do much witch stuff at all. I just stick with my automail engineering. Really, I only help out at all because Ed works here.” 

Lan Fan nodded. “And all witches have familiars?” 

Havoc laughed. “Hell no! There ain’t enough demons to agree to it, not enough witches that wouldn’t just kill them, and not all witches are powerful enough to sustain one of us. Only reason there’s so many around here is because this branch of Amestris is made up of only witches that have familiars.” 

Wait… that meant… “Ed has a familiar?” She’d never seen him with anyone other than Winry or Ling. Were witches and their familiars supposed to be close? Or was she reading into it? 

Winry sighed. “Yeah… he has one… Think you should ask him about that though.” 

Lan Fan didn’t actually care that much, she was just curious. But now that she had all the basics, came the important things. “Okay. What’s going to happen to Ling?” 

* * *

“Uh… I don’t know how to do that,” Ling said. Never mind the fact that he didn’t  _ want _ to give up control of his body. If he did that, would he ever get it back? 

_ Come on, you did it last night, _ Greed said.  _ Besides, you heard the man. He wants to talk to  _ me. 

“Yeah, but how do I know you’re actually going to give it back?” he asked. 

“Just let go,” Hawkeye suggested. “Almost like you’re going to sleep. Trust me, as soon as he has any foothold at all, the demon will do the rest of the work.” 

Ling frowned and crossed his arms. “Promise you’ll give control back when you’re done.” 

Greed growled.  _ I’m still not strong enough to stay in control that long. Quit whining!  _

He sighed. “Fine.” He closed his eyes, and reached out for the feeling from earlier when Greed had taken over. He felt the other presence in his head brush up against him as he retreated into his mind, or soul, or wherever it was he went when Greed was in control. 

Just like that, he lost the ability to control his body, and more importantly, his  _ mouth. _ “Mighty fine woman you got there, fire witch.” 

If he could control his hands, Ling would have smacked himself in the face.  _ Please don’t make her shoot us again. I don’t care if it won’t kill me, it  _ hurt. 

_ Shut up,  _ Greed said.  _ I gotta have fun sometimes.  _

_ Hey, how come you can talk in your head when you’re in control? I sound like I’m crazy when I talk to you!  _ he exclaimed. 

_ You ever actually tried, brat?  _

Ling huffed and crossed his arms, trying to ignore the way he seemed to be floating in an infinite black void. He’d been too panicked to really notice where he was the last time Greed took over. Was this really his head? He knew Lan Fan liked to joke, but he had never imagined it was really this  _ empty.  _

“So, Greed,” Mustang said as he interlocked his fingers and leaned his elbows on his desk. “I can’t say it’s a pleasure.” 

“Tch. Don’t know what I ever did to you,” Greed grumbled. 

_ I thought you said you didn’t like him, _ Ling said. 

_ Yeah, that’s based on what I’ve heard, genius.  _

Mustang frowned. “You’ve had run ins with Amestris in the past, and you’ve not been someone we enjoy dealing with, even if you  _ weren’t _ aligned with the other Seven.” 

Greed hummed. “Yeah, think I remember one of those times. That fuckin’ Fullmetal brat was there, right?” 

_ “Think _ you remember?  _ One _ time?” Mustang demanded. 

Greed shrugged and offered him a toothy grin. “Shit happens, ya know? What are you wantin’ with me? There a reason I’m not dead yet?” 

_ I thought you said your family  _ tried _ to get rid of your memory, not that they actually did it, _ Ling said. 

_ They wanted all of it, got most of it, but I’ve got a bit left, _ he muttered.  _ Enough to know I fucking hate those bastards.  _

Mustang sighed and glanced at Hawkeye. “Is he telling the truth?” 

She nodded. 

He ran his hand down his face. “Great. So you don’t know… anything about what the other Seven are planning?” 

“Ah, so you want information,” Greed said. “I don’t know, I might know  _ something.”  _

_ No you don’t, _ Ling said.  _ Stop lying.  _

_ I told you, kid. I don’t lie.  _

“And what do you want for that information?” Mustang asked. Ling could tell from his tone of voice that the man was  _ not _ happy about indulging Greed. 

Greed shoved his hands in his pockets. “Not much, really. Just to be left alone.” 

Mustang gave him a  _ look. _ “You can’t honestly believe we would let you just walk out of here to do whatever you want, right?  _ Especially _ not when you’re possessing the body of an innocent human.” 

“Said it yourself, buddy. You don’t have a way to get me out of the kid’s body,” Greed said. 

_ I’m twenty-one. I’m not a kid, _ Ling said. 

_ Shut the hell up, that is to a kid, _ Greed said. 

“And you’re not gonna kill me because I’m ‘possessing the body of an innocent human,’ so what the hell else are you gonna do?” he asked. 

_ Imprison us, torture us, do weird witchcraft things to us. _ Ling counted each option off on his fingers. 

_ You’re real annoying,  _ Greed muttered. 

_ Welcome to my world.  _

“Well, you got me there,” Mustang said. “I can’t kill you. But I’m willing to get Amestris off your back if you offer a  _ little _ more than some information.” 

Greed raised an eyebrow. “And what the hell would that be?” 

“You obviously hate the other Seven. Help us work to get rid of them, and after they're gone, I’ll let you go do whatever you want,” he said. 

“Sir?” Hawkeye’s eyes widened. She was clearly surprised by the offer. 

He waved her off. “We pose you as a new familiar if anyone from another branch comes asking about you, and you help us hunt the Seven down.” 

Greed frowned, seemingly considering the offer. 

_ Hey! Wait! _ Ling waved his arms around.  _ What about me!? This doesn’t help me out at all!  _

_ Shut up,  _ Greed said.  _ The adults are talking.  _

_ I am an adult!  _

“Say I take you up on this…  _ I’m _ not working for  _ you,” _ Greed said. “We just happen to want the same thing at the moment, so I don’t mind if we’re going in the same direction.” 

Mustang nodded. “Of course.” 

_ Are you kidding me? I have things to do! I can’t get involved in some kind of supernatural turf war! I still need to write my freaking paper, Greed! _ Ling shouted. 

Greed ignored him. “And whatever witch you play off as my…  _ master…” _ He practically spit the word. “Better not be annoying as hell.” 

“We’ll get that figured out,” Mustang said. “Since every witch here already has a familiar. But are you agreeing to this?” 

“I won’t stop you from going after my family _with_ me,” he said. “They took something from me, so they’ve got what’s coming to them.” 

Mustang nodded. “Glad to see we’re on the same page.” 

_ Excuse me! What about me? _ This  _ sucked! _ Ling would never take having control of his body for granted ever again. Shouldn’t he have at least  _ some _ say in this deal? It was  _ his _ body, after all! 

“Oh, and one more thing,” Mustang said with a smirk. “As part of this arrangement, you leave Ling’s soul out of it. Don’t consume it.” 

Ling almost cried with relief. He thought he’d been forgotten about in here! 

Greed scowled. “Seriously? You expect me to go around sharing my body with a  _ human?” _

Mustang shrugged. “It’s that or I hand you over to the Amestrian higher ups, since you’ll end up killing him anyways. Besides, give it a few hundred years and you’ll have gained enough power back to manifest your actual body again.” 

_ Few hundred years!?  _ Ling demanded. What did that even  _ mean? _ He’d be alive for that long? Kept alive by Greed’s powers while the demon used his body for God knew what!? 

_ Yeah, I’m immortal, idiot. Means your body’s immortal so long as I’m in it, _ Greed said. 

Ling laughed nervously, not quite sure what to make of that. 

“Fine,” Greed relented. “I won’t mess with his soul.” 

Well that was a relief. At least he could rest easy knowing the demon wasn’t trying to eat his soul anymore. Now he just needed to deal with… accepting that he was stuck with having a bodymate,  _ permanently, _ it seemed. 

Mustang gave him a curt nod. “Good. That’s all I wanted for now. You’re free to go.” 

“Tch. I was leaving anyways,” Greed said as he left the office. 

* * *

As soon as he was gone, Riza demanded. “Are you  _ sure _ this is a good idea?” 

Mustang sighed. “It’s the best, for everyone in the situation. Trust me, I don’t like it either. Ideally, he  _ would _ agree to become an actual familiar, but it’s never going to happen.” 

Riza frowned. While that may be, he couldn’t seriously be trusting Greed the Avaricious to keep his word. He was a member of the most powerful group of demons in existence, and he wanted  _ everything. _ Sure, he might not be aligned with his family, and want them dead and gone just as much as them, but that  _ couldn’t _ be his only motivation. 

“I do want you to keep a close eye on him, though,” Mustang said. “Even if it’s not official, I am more or less leaving you in charge of him. As well as Ling, and the girl that came with them.” 

She nodded. “Yes, sir.” Then she frowned. “Did you sense anything odd about the girl?”

“What do you mean?” he asked. 

“She felt like a witch to me,” she said. “Though if she is, she’s not aware of it.” 

He shrugged. “It’s possible her family never told her what they were. It happens. If it’s true though, spending time around other witches and demons is going to activate her powers. How sure are you?” 

“Fairly certain,” Riza said. Witches smelt vastly different from normal humans, and had a different energy surrounding them. “I thought I might have felt it from the boy, too, but it was hard to be sure, due to it being smothered by Greed’s power.” 

He hummed. “Have Fuery look into their family backgrounds.” 

She nodded. “Yes, sir.” 

The door to his office banged open, and Edward Elric stood in the doorway, holding Ling by the ear. “Hey you bastard!” he shouted. “Care to tell me why the hell my roommate reeks like fucking hellspawn?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rip to Ling's paper, it's never gonna happen, bud


	5. Step Five: finally agree to let them finish their paper

Ling really wished Ed would stop twisting his ear. 

“Answer me, Mustang!” Ed shouted, finally letting go of Ling’s ear, but only to grab his shoulder and jostle him around. “Last I checked he was human!” 

_ Ah, so all his screaming wasn’t my memories being corroded or some shit, he really is just that loud, _ Greed said. 

Greed had lost control of the body this time when Ed had come out of nowhere, grabbing Ling and dragging him back to Mustang’s office. It was definitely a lot better than getting shot in the head, though. 

“Good to see you, too, Fullmetal,” Mustang said. 

“Ed, you probably shouldn’t yell at your superiors,” Ling said as he pried Ed’s grip off his shoulder. 

“You shut up! You were dumb enough to get possessed!” he shouted. 

_ Tell him it’s his fault, _ Greed said.  _ I want to watch his head explode.  _

“That’s not very nice,” Ling replied. 

_ “I’m not nice!”  _ Ed and Greed exclaimed in unison. 

Ling tried to hold back his laughter, but it didn’t work. He held onto Ed as he doubled over, laughing like a madman. It wasn’t even that  _ funny, _ but the whole situation was just so ridiculous. He was standing in a shitty antique shop that smelled like dust and mothballs, listening to witches argue over the demon in his head. The demon that only  _ he _ could hear. It was  _ sad, _ so sad it was  _ hilarious. _ Was this really what his life had come to? 

_ Woah kid, you lost it already?  _ Greed laughed.  _ That sure didn’t take long.  _

“Oh, great!” Ed said. “He’s already fucking cracked. Fucking perfect. I’m gonna have to find a new roommate now!” 

Ling forced himself to stop laughing. “Sorry, I think I’m just starting to realize how much this  _ sucks.”  _

Mustang frowned. “Let him go, Fullmetal. I’ll explain everything.” 

Ed gave Ling a concerned look, but nudged him out the door. 

He shuffled out the door, fell into the first chair he found, and put his head in his hands. 

These people couldn’t help him. He was  _ stuck _ like this. Stuck listening to a voice only he could hear, stuck fighting for control over his own body. This was his life now. All because he was unlucky enough to end up with a witch for a roommate and get grabbed by two demons on the way home. 

_ I’m not _ that _ bad, _ Greed said.  _ By the way, you really should stop thinking so loud. I can hear it, you know.  _

Of course he could.  _ Of course _ even his  _ thoughts _ weren’t private anymore. “Tell me what I get out of this,” he muttered. “Because from what I can tell, all I’m getting are a lot of problems that aren’t even my own.” 

_ I actually have a lot of powers, kid. There just hasn’t been a reason to use them yet, _ he said. 

Ling scoffed. “Yeah? And all they’re gonna be used for is fighting those other demons, right alongside my body. I’m like cannon fodder to you! You’re going to get me killed!” 

_ No I’m not. _

“You’re not?” The disbelief was clear in his voice. 

_ You forgetting that if you die, I die, too? You’re not  _ that _ much of a pest, _ he said.  _ Besides, like I told you before. You’re  _ mine, _ and I protect what’s mine. I don’t easily let go of my possessions.  _

“Oh yeah?” Strangely, the words eased his worry, if only a little bit. Greed didn’t actually  _ want _ him dead, which was a good thing. Though he wasn’t sure he liked being called one of the demon’s  _ possessions.  _

_ Yeah. Now shut up about it. I’m not lettin’ you die.  _

Ling flopped against the back of the chair. “You know, I’m serious about that paper. It needs to get done.” 

_ I don’t care about your paper.  _

“Yeah, and _I_ don’t care about your stupid family,” he said. “So I tell you what, I’ll go along with working with these people, won’t be annoying about it all, if _you_ return the favor and don’t completely mess up my life? That means no causing issues while I’m going to class, work, school stuff. Got it?” 

_ Tch. You really think you’re in the position to be making demands?  _ he asked.

He shrugged. “Who’s in control more often?” 

_ Even if I don’t consume your soul, eventually it’s gonna be easy for me to shove you out of the driver’s seat.  _

Ling sighed. “Look, I’m trying to be nice here, figure out a little compromise to make this a  _ little _ more bearable for both of us. Yesterday, I didn’t even know body cohabitation was a thing. You really should stop being such a prick.” 

Greed didn’t answer. 

“And you know… You  _ really _ haven’t seen how annoying I can get yet. Even while you’re in control, I’ll make your life  _ hell, _ if I really wanted to,” he added. 

_ Fine, _ Greed relented.  _ I’ll fucking leave you alone when you’re a school.  _

Ling grinned and closed his eyes. “Good! And I’ll leave you alone when you go fight other demons.” 

“Hey! You’re Ling, right? Ed’s roommate?” 

Ling cracked an eye open, to see another demon waving at him. “It’s nice to finally meet you!” he said. “I’m Alphonse, Ed’s brother. But you can call me Al.” 

_ Oh great. There’s two of them.  _

“Brother?” Ling demanded before he could stop himself. This was a  _ demon! _ The pointed ears, slit pupils, and sharp teeth didn’t really leave much up for debate. 

“Ah, yeah,” he said as he rubbed the back of his head. “It’s a bit of a long story. It’s nice to meet you, though. Did Ed finally tell you about all of this?” 

“Not exactly…” Ling muttered. “I uh, kinda ended up getting possessed.” 

“Oh.” Al’s easy smile melted into a frown. “Sorry about that.” 

He shrugged. “Not too much to do about it.” 

“Is my brother around?” he asked, changing the subject. 

Ling pointed towards Mustang’s office. “He’s back there fighting with his boss.” 

Al sighed and shook his head, though his smile was back. “Of course he is. Well, thanks, Ling. I hope you get this all sorted out.” He waved and headed back towards Mustang’s office. 

“What the hell?” Ling whispered as soon as he was gone. “His brother’s a demon? You know anything about that?” 

_ What, you think I kept tabs on that Fullmetal brat? _

“I don’t know. Didn’t you say you lost some of your memory? You might have,” he said. 

_ Watch it.  _

Ling snorted. “You’re so touchy.” 

_ Fuck off.  _

He snickered. Greed really was very easy to annoy. 

* * *

“What do you  _ mean _ there’s no way to get him un-possessed!?” Lan Fan demanded. 

Winry sighed. She really did feel bad for Ling and Lan Fan. They hadn’t asked for any of this, hadn’t grown up in witch communities. They’d had their lives turned upside down within the span of a few hours. 

“Afraid not,” Havoc said. “Not if it’s  _ Greed _ possessing him. Talk about a bad break.” 

“But I thought you said you people could help him!” she said. 

Winry had no idea how to comfort Lan Fan. She wished she knew the girl better. All she knew about her was that she was Ling’s best friend, and that they had grown up together. “They can,” Winry said. “Whatever solution they come up with is going to be better than just leaving him to figure this out on his own, even if it’s not… really what you guys wanted.” 

Amestris specialized in taking situations that sucked and twisting them to be beneficial, even if it didn’t really  _ fix _ the original problem. That was what they had done for Ed and Al, wasn’t it? This wasn’t that much different. 

“But…” Lan Fan let out a choked noise, like she was trying not to cry. “What does that  _ mean? _ Is he going to die? Is that demon going to just take over until there’s nothing of Ling left anymore?” 

Winry glanced at Havoc, but the demon looked even less equipped to handle this than her. 

She took a step towards Lan Fan and gently took her hand. “We’re not going to let that happen, okay? We’ll come up with a better solution. Ling’s going to be fine.” 

Havoc glared at her, clearing not approving of lying to make her feel better. 

Winry didn’t think it was lying, though. Sure, for the foreseeable future, Ling was going to be merged with a demon, but that was a far cry from dead. And she truly believed that not all demons were  _ evil, _ and if Greed had already gone this long without hurting Ling or anyone else, well… she wasn’t sure she would call him  _ good, _ exactly, but he could be much worse. 

It seemed Havoc wasn’t the only one to doubt her words, however. “Don’t lie to me,” Lan Fan said. “I’m not stupid.” 

Winry hummed. “Look, I’m not saying that things will go back to  _ normal _ for you two, or that you’re going to get out of this unscathed, but we’re not going to let Ling  _ die. _ Ask Ed and Al about what Mustang and his team did for them when you get the chance. It might help you have a little faith in them.” 

“Whatever you say,” she muttered. 

Throwing caution to the wind, Winry pulled Lan Fan into a loose hug. “I do say. Plus, Ed really likes Ling, even if he won’t admit it, and Ed’s a stubborn genius. Having him on your side will really help. He won’t let something terrible happen to Ling.”  _ If he’s gone this long still looking for a way to get Al’s humanity back, he won’t give up on Ling either.  _

Lan Fan didn’t hug her back, though some of the tension in her body disappeared. “Yeah, okay. Maybe.” She pulled out of the hug. “I guess this  _ is _ better than nothing.” 

Winry nodded. “See.” 

Hawkeye appeared around the corner. “Havoc. With me.” 

He pushed off the wall and nodded towards Winry and Lan Fan. “See you around ladies. What’ve you got for me, Riza?” 

“New orders. And Winry, take Ling and Lan Fan back home. If you don’t mind, stay with them until Ed gets home,” Hawkeye said. 

“You don’t trust us to be alone?” Lan Fan asked. 

“More like we don’t trust Greed to do as he’s told,” Hawkeye said. She disappeared back around the corner with Havoc. 

“Come on, Lan Fan,” Winry said. “Let’s get Ling and get you back home. I’m sure it’s been a long day for you.” 

* * *

“They’re putting  _ us _ in charge of Greed?” Havoc demanded. 

Riza sighed. She didn’t like it either, but she supposed she could see Mustang’s reasoning. “Rebecca and Al are in on it as well. It’s being kept on the down low, but Mustang thinks it’s better to have familiars around him, since we’ll be better equipped to handle him if this goes south.” 

Havoc scoffed. “More like we’re living shields if he decides to double cross us.”

“You know it’s not like that,” she said. Mustang would never put familiars in dangerous situations just because they were familiars. Armstrong, maybe, under certain circumstances, but Mustang  _ wouldn’t.  _

He waved her off. “Yeah, yeah, but old habits die hard. We were nothing but pawns for the Seven, and that’s all we are here too, they just dress it up a bit more.” 

Riza frowned. It’d been  _ years _ since she and Havoc had worked for Wrath. While she could  _ kind of _ see where Havoc was coming from, it really was extremely different. “You’re more pissed about being around one of the Seven again than you are about the actual orders, aren’t you?” 

“Obviously,” he muttered. “I don’t like them.” 

“Me either. But I don’t think Greed likes the rest of them either,” she said. “He might be the thing that turns the tables.” 

Havoc gave her a look. “Seriously?” 

She sighed. “Well obviously I don’t  _ know _ , but you have to admit, they didn’t like Greed either.” The wayward member of the Seven was a taboo topic among the Seven’s underlings, so they had never talked about him much, but they’d heard Envy and Lust complain about him quite often. Even Wrath and Pride had occasionally made snide comments. 

He grimaced. “No, they didn’t.” He shook his head. “You know I’m not going to refuse, but I don’t like it.” 

“Trust me,” she said. “I understand.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Congrats to those of yall that called Al was Ed's familiar lmao


	6. Step Six: annoy them about their other friends

Greed didn’t lie, so he could admit he was intrigued by the brat he’d ended up sharing a body with. 

Never mind his weird, overly powerful soul (that definitely couldn’t belong to a regular human, but that was a string to pull on another day), but he’d adjusted to this situation… relatively well, all things considered. 

He was still pretty pissed at the kid for getting them involved with Amestris, but he could twist it to his advantage, eventually. He didn’t  _ want _ to work with witches, and he  _ definitely _ didn’t want to be paraded around as a familiar, but he knew Amestris was pretty powerful, and was definitely the organization that had the best chances of dealing with his siblings. 

And he wanted his siblings  _ dead, _ or at the very least, Wrath dead. That  _ bastard _ had been the one to basically kill him, and kill his chimeras. 

He’d  _ stolen _ from him, and that wasn’t something Greed could overlook. 

_ This is boring, _ he said. 

Ling sighed. “Yeah, but it needs to get done.” 

As soon as Fullmetal’s girl brought them back to the kid’s apartment, he’d gotten to work on that damn paper he’d been whining about so much. He didn’t know why he’d been so insistent on it though. It sucked, and he wasn’t even having a good time writing it. 

_ You’re sure you don’t want to just drop out and let me take over? _ he asked. 

“Shut up,” he growled. 

Greed laughed. Ling sure did like to talk about how easy  _ Greed _ was to annoy, but he wasn’t much better himself. 

“Shut up, demon. Leave him alone,” Lan Fan said from across the apartment. She’d been leaned against the wall, glaring at them with her arms crossed, ever since they got back. 

_ Tell your girl I like her, _ he said. 

Ling shot Lan Fan a wary look, then said, quiet enough that she wouldn’t hear, “She’s not my girl. And don’t even think about it.” 

_ Oh no? And why not?  _ He wasn’t actually interested in the girl, he knew it would never happen, but it was fun to watch Ling squirm. 

“First of all, my body. I get some say in who we decide to sleep with. And I say no. She’s my best friend,” he said. And Greed had to hand it to him, he was  _ still _ typing out that paper, even if the last three sentences didn’t make a damn bit of sense. 

_ Aw, you telling me that you two never tried  _ anything? _ Even when you were younger, in high school or something?  _

He sighed. “We kissed once. Happy now?” 

“What are you talking about?” Lan Fan asked. 

“Nothing!” Ling said hastily.

She narrowed her eyes, but didn’t say anything else. 

_ Oh yeah? Let me guess, you were twelve and wanted to know what it felt like, _ he said. 

“Something like that,” he said. He began to flip through his textbook, clearly trying to end the conversation. 

Greed wasn’t just going to let it  _ go _ , however. Not when Ling was  _ embarrassed  _ about something.  _ Explain.  _

“No.” 

_ Come on, _ he sang. 

He slammed the textbook shut. “Why do you want to know so much?” 

_ Because I’m bored, and there’s not much to do here except irritate you and needle fun facts about your life out of you, _ he said. 

Ling groaned. “Fine! If you’re not gonna let it go… It was when she started to think she might be a lesbian, so she wanted to kiss me to see if she liked it. She said it sucked.” 

_ “Ling!”  _ Lan Fan exclaimed. “Why are you telling him that!?” 

Greed howled with laughter as Ling tried to come up with some kind of defense.  _ I bet that did wonders for your self esteem!  _

“Shut  _ up!”  _ he snapped, though he didn’t really seem that worked up about it. 

Winry sighed from the kitchen, where she was making dinner. “Please don’t start fighting. If you’re already fighting before Ed gets home, I don’t even want to imagine what it will be like when he gets here.” 

_ Aw come on, _ Greed said.  _ Let me take over for a while, bet I could find some  _ nice _ women. You seem wound up, you need to  _ relax. 

“Oh my god.” Ling threw his head back. “You’re some kind of slut, aren’t you?” 

_Excuse you, at least _I’m_ not the family member named _Lust, he said. 

Ling rolled his eyes. “You’re not using my body to sleep around.” 

_ Lame.  _

He huffed and turned his attention back to his paper. 

* * *

“Are you sure you don’t want help cooking?” Lan Fan asked, for about the millionth time. “I feel bad.” 

Winry laughed and shook her head. “No, I promise, it’s fine. I like cooking.” Lan Fan really was a sweet girl, even if she could be a little intense. 

“If you’re sure,” she said. Then she sighed. “Is it okay if I stay in here with you, though?” 

“You don’t have to ask, this isn’t even my house,” Winry said as she finished chopping up the onions. “Is Greed bothering you?” she dared to ask. 

Lan Fan shrugged. 

Winry frowned, really hoping she wasn’t about to overstep. “You know,  _ I’m _ not going to tell Ling if you want to complain about something.” 

Lan Fan stared at her for a moment, before sighing. “It’s just… He’s having conversations with someone I can’t hear, can’t see. I don’t know what they’re talking about. And it’s weird. It’s almost like he  _ enjoys _ them, and I’m just… left out.” She picked up one of the kitchen knives and began stabbing at the counter with it. “I know that’s a weird, shitty way of looking at things, considering what’s going on, but…” 

Winry hummed. “Sometimes Ed and Paninya get jealous of each other.” 

“Huh?” 

She dumped the chopped up onions into the pot of soup. “My boyfriend and girlfriend. It doesn’t happen very often anymore, but when I first started dating both of them, they’d get jealous of each other sometimes. I know it’s not really the same situation, like…  _ at all, _ but after you’ve had a person to yourself and yourself only, I guess it can be hard to accept they’re close with someone else, too.” 

“I didn’t know you had a girlfriend,” Lan Fan said, finally setting aside the kitchen knife to give the poor counter a break. 

“Ah yeah.” Winry chuckled. “Paninya’s not much involved in this part of my life. She knows about it, but that’s pretty much it. She works with me at my automail job. I actually started dating her before I was dating Ed.” 

“Hm.” Lan Fan tapped her fingers against the counter. “Thanks… Winry.” 

She grinned. “No problem!” She should have known any friends Ed made, human or not, were bad at confronting their feelings. 

“Plus there's the bad energy I sense from that demon,” she said. “It’s almost giving me a headache.” 

Winry nearly dropped her spoon into the soup. “W-What?” 

“You know, he just feels…  _ bad.” _ She shrugged. 

Normal humans shouldn’t be able to sense demons. Not even ones as powerful as Greed. Sometimes even witches had trouble learning how to sense demons, Winry couldn’t even do it most of the time. So if Lan Fan could sense him… “Oh.” She waved it off like it was nothing. “Yeah, demons have pretty bad energy.” 

Just how powerful of a witch was this girl? 

* * *

“So I’ve been informed that spending time with me was the reason you got possessed,” Ed said as they all sat at the dinner table. 

Ling stared at him, determined to make his roommate as uncomfortable as possible with the situation. “Yeah.” 

Ed cleared his throat, and tugged at the collar of his  _ ridiculous _ My Chemical Romance hoody. “Sorry… about that…” He jerked, because Winry had  _ definitely _ just kicked him beneath the table. 

_ This sucks, _ Greed said.  _ Why are you all so goddamn awkward?  _

“Gave you heartburn, did that?” Ling asked. 

Ed glared at him. “Well look! It’s not like I’ve ever had to apologize for inadvertently getting someone possessed before!” 

“Do you ever apologize at all?” Lan Fan asked. 

Ed stuck his tongue out at her. 

“Real mature, Ed,” Winry said as she shook her head. 

Ling shrugged and grinned at him. “I hope you know I’m not actually mad, I just wanted to see what you would do.” 

“Oh my god,  _ fuck _ you!” Ed shouted. “And here I was actually feeling bad for you!” 

Ling laughed, and it was joined by Greed’s laughter in his head. “Sorry, but I wasn’t gonna let an opportunity like that slip by. Although, I do have to admit, I kind of wish you had told me about all this  _ before _ I had a demon in my head.” 

“Dude, it’s not like I was hiding it, you’re just dense,” Ed said. “I never actually lied.” 

“He  _ does _ kind of have a point,” Winry said. “I came over to help him with complicated spells at least three times while you were home.” 

“Oh my god.” Lan Fan slumped against the table.  _ “Ling!”  _

_ They’re right, kid. That’s pretty bad. _

“Oh don’t you start, too,” Ling muttered. “And it wasn’t  _ that _ bad!” 

Ed snorted. “Honestly, when I first moved in, I almost thought you were a witch, too. Because you didn’t question me warding the fuck out of this place, or any of the other weird shit I did.” 

“I decided not to be nosy!” he protested. 

“There’s a line between not being nosy and sticking your head in the sand, and you  _ definitely _ crossed it,” Ed said. 

“Wha—I’m the one who’s possessed, here! Stop making fun of me!” he said. 

_ Even if they stop,  _ I’m _ gonna give you hell for that. How the fuck did you not figure out something was shifty with Fullmetal?  _

“Being possessed doesn’t get you out of being called out for being a dumbass, Ling,” Ed said with a shrug. “Besides, I know plenty of stupid demons. Like the one hanging out in your head right now.” 

_ Tell him I said he’s short, _ Greed said. 

“Greed says you’re short,” Ling repeated. 

Ed’s eye twitched, and Winry tried to muffle her laughter. 

“Ling, if you ever don’t realize someone is a witch ever again, I’m going to kill you,” Lan Fan said. 

“You didn’t notice either!” he argued. 

“Yeah, but I didn’t  _ live _ with him!” 

Ling shoved a spoonful of the soup in his mouth. “This is very good, Winry. I understand why Ed bitches about microwaveable meals now.” 

_ You know you don’t actually need to eat anymore, right?  _

“Shut up, I like food.” 

“Aw, thank you, Ling,” she said with a bright smile. 

“So… witches don’t actually cook children or anything, right?” Lan Fan asked as she stirred the soup around in her bowl. 

“Uh… definitely not,” Ed said. 

“You watched me make it!” Winry exclaimed. 

Lan Fan shrugged. “Just thought I’d check.” 

* * *

A few hours later, Winry went home, and Ling had gone to bed. After having been up for two days straight, he’d been about ready to drop. 

Lan Fan watched as Ed covered the walls in even more runes, meant to mask Greed’s presence from other demons. She’d decided to stay overnight, not wanting to leave Ling alone anymore than she had to. 

“Hey, Ed?” 

He didn’t even look at her. “Yeah?”

“Can I ask about your brother?” 


	7. Step Seven: start to make them feel sorry for you via nightmares

For a moment, Ed stopped drawing, though he still didn’t turn to look at her. For a second, Lan Fan was worried she had overstepped. 

But then he resumed drawing the runes. “What about him?” 

“Well…” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Ling mentioned that he was a… a… you know…” 

“A demon?” He shrugged. “You don’t have to act like he’s not. That’s what he is, so it’s fine for you to call him that.” 

“Right…” She pulled her blanket tighter around her shoulders. “I’m guessing something happened there. And Winry said I should ask you about what Amestris did for you. I think she was trying to make me feel better about Ling, but didn’t want to talk about you herself.” 

Ed sighed and finally quit messing with the runes. He tucked the chalk into his pocket and fell onto the couch next to Lan Fan. “Yeah, Al wasn’t always a demon. We fucked up when we were younger, made some stupid decisions. It’s how I got these.” He held up his automail arm, then tapped at his automail leg. “Amestris  _ did _ help us get back on our feet, I guess.” 

“Really?” she asked. “Because from where I’m standing, it just sounds like they’re using Ling.” 

He hummed. “Yeah, that’s how they work. The branch I work for is pretty much the only decent one. Mustang’s a bastard, but he probably does actually want to help Ling. I wouldn’t have agreed to this whole set up if I thought there was a better option.” He leaned against the back of the couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table. “I’m not gonna lie, Amestris as an organization can be pretty fucked up. But for people like us, we don’t really have a lot of options. Sure, they’re using Ling as a means to an end, but it’s better than killing him, or leaving him to get killed by the other Seven.” 

“That doesn’t really make me feel better,” Lan Fan said. 

Ed snorted. “I didn’t figure it would. You’re a hard person to please, Lan Fan. Especially when it comes to Ling.” 

She narrowed her eyes. “Yes? And?” 

He shook his head. “I don’t mean anything by it. Everyone needs someone like that. He’s lucky to have you.” 

She sniffed and turned her head away. All Ed had done was admit that this Amestris was just using Ling. They didn’t actually  _ care _ about helping him. 

Ed was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath. “We committed a taboo. Forbidden magic. Like, execution-level forbidden magic. We were just little kids. Mustang and Hawkeye found us by chance, before anyone else in Amestris did. They offered to help us cover up what we’d done, and if I agreed to work for them, Al could become my familiar, which would keep him safe from other witches, and we could get access to research materials that might help us get our old bodies back. Honestly, I don’t know what would have happened to us without them. So  _ yes, _ even if they are getting something out of Ling, he's getting something out of it, too.” 

“Well, damn, Ed,” she said. “Now I feel bad for making fun of you for being angsty and emo. That’s fucked up.” 

“You don’t know the half of it,” he said. “But you get my point, yeah?” 

“I guess.” She shrugged. “And it’s not like there’s another option anyways, so I don’t have much choice when it comes to trusting them.” 

He nodded, and got back up to finish scribbling all over the walls. “Don’t go trusting anyone outside our branch though,” he warned. “We’re all fucked if they find out what we’re up to with Greed and Ling. Actually, we’d be fucked over a lot of things. Me. Al. Letting our familiars have a say in things and sharing classified information with them.” 

“Duly noted.” Lan Fan snuggled into the couch and grabbed the TV remote, deciding it wouldn’t hurt to try and find something to watch before she went to sleep. “So are you guys really that weird for being decent to your familiars?” She didn’t like to imagine that demons were treated like work dogs, especially after interacting with quite a few of them and realizing the demon didn’t mean  _ evil.  _

“Well, I don’t know about witch organizations outside of Amestris, or unaligned witches, but for us, oh yeah,” he answered. “They’re treated like living shields and weapons. It pisses me the hell off.” 

“Yeah…” She flicked the TV on, and began to switch through channels. “I have one more question, but you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” 

“Hm?”

“That magic you did, that turned Al into a demon and took your limbs, are there many spells that can manage things like that?” she asked. Call her morbidly curious, but it  _ was _ interesting. 

“Oh no.” He shook his head. “It wasn’t the spell. God’s just a bitch.” 

She snickered, having no idea he wasn’t kidding. “Whatever you say, Ed.” 

* * *

Ling tossed and turned. Every time he managed to drift off, he got flashes of awful things. Blood, screaming, burning. He was so  _ tired, _ but he couldn’t sleep. His head  _ hurt.  _

Whatever this was, seemed to be putting Greed in a bad mood as well.  _ I told you, we don’t need to fucking sleep. You’re just wasting time right now.  _

“Shut up,” he hissed. “If I don’t need to sleep anymore, why am I so  _ tired?” _

_ Because you’re fighting tooth and nail against me, _ he said.  _ You quit and your stupid body will start accepting my power.  _

“Yeah, and then you take over.” He shoved his head beneath his pillow. 

_ Not necessarily. Besides, the damn deal  _ you _ were so insistent of only guaranteed you control while you were doing school shit. Free time is up for grabs. _

“Please just shut up and let me sleep,” he begged. His eyes burned, and it would be so nice to just tap out for a few hours, to not have to acknowledge the demon in his head. 

Greed scoffed, but he  _ did _ stop talking. 

Within a few moments, Ling managed to fall asleep. 

But those weird flashes turned into nightmares. They were broken up, like pieces were missing, and voices were distorted. It was almost like watching a corroded video. 

Blood pooled in the water, splattered against tunnel walls. Someone screamed. He gasped as a sword was shoved through him. His vision went dark, but the screaming continued. When his eyes opened again, he was in the water, surrounded by blood and broken bodies. 

He wanted to scream, to move, but his body wouldn’t obey him. It was like watching a horror movie, but he was trapped in the main character’s body. 

Everything went dark again, and when he came to this time, his limp body was being dragged through the tunnels. He was dragged past a woman’s corpse, her eyes wide and unseeing, and blood pooling around her broken body. 

Ling shot up with a gasp, clutching at his head as the headache intensified. “What the hell…” With shaky fingers, he grabbed his phone to check the time. He’d only been asleep for about half an hour. 

_ I told you we didn’t need to sleep, _ Greed said, his voice sullen. 

Ling jumped, still on edge from… whatever it was he’d just seen. “Were those your…” He didn’t finish the question. He was pretty sure he already knew the answer. 

_ We don’t need to sleep, _ he repeated. 

“Y-Yeah…” If that was what Greed saw every time he tried to sleep, Ling didn’t blame him for not wanting to do that. “You can take over for a while,” he said. “Just don’t do anything too weird.” 

_ Huh?  _

“I don’t have a class until nine tomorrow, so you’ve got free reign until then,” he said. “It’s about two, so that’s seven whole hours. Just…” He sighed and shook his head.  _ “Please _ don’t like, kill anyone, or do something like that.” 

_ Wouldn’t dream of it, kid, _ he said.  _ You know I don’t actually go around killin’ people, right?  _

“Well, it’s not like I know a whole lot about you,” he said with a shrug. “Just that your name’s Greed, you hate your family, and you’re kind of a prick.” 

_ Tch. Whatever.  _

Ling hopped out of bed. “So are you taking over, or not?” 

Just like that, Ling was shoved back into that dark void again. He wondered if he could sleep in here. Did it work like that? But… he wasn’t sure if he trusted Greed enough to let him run around without some supervision yet. 

Greed yawned and stretched, then grabbed at the strand of hair that had fallen into his face. “I’m cutting this.” 

_ No the fuck you aren’t!  _ Ling exclaimed. 

“Hey! You do swear!” Greed said. “You had me worried there for a while.” 

_ You’ve heard me swear, _ he muttered. 

“Never heard you say fuck, and compared to me, and the people you hang out with, you’re a regular saint, kid,” he said. “Now where’s the scissors?” 

_ You’re not cutting my hair!  _

“Why not?” he practically whined. “It gets in the way! Besides, it’s my hair now.” 

Ling crossed his arms.  _ If anything, it’s  _ our _ hair. And I like it long. If it’s really that annoying, tie it back.  _

About two minutes later, Ling really regretted his choice of words.  _ I didn’t mean literally  _ tie _ it! Did you just tie it into a freaking knot? I meant use a ponytail holder!  _

“Not my fault you didn’t specify,” he said as he dug through Ling’s closet. “God, do you not have anything besides bright colors?” 

_ I like bright colors, _ he said.  _ We’re not all edgelords like you and Ed.  _

“Wasn’t your girl dressed all in black?” 

Ling sighed.  _ I told you, she’s not my girlfriend.  _

“Did I say girlfriend?” he asked. “I said  _ your _ girl. She’s yours, right?” 

He frowned, and it took him a minute to decipher what Greed meant.  _ She’s my friend? You know people don’t own each other, right? _

Greed rolled his eyes, and finally shrugged on one of Ling’s tamer jackets. “Nah, she’s yours. Guess that makes her mine, too.” 

_ Whatever. _ Ling decided this probably wasn’t an argument he was going to win with the incarnation of greed.  _ That mean you’ll protect her, too?  _

“Yeah, I always protect what’s mine. And we’re getting some new clothes as soon as we get the chance.” He crept through the apartment, sparing a glance towards Lan Fan sleeping soundly on the couch. 

_ So where are we going? _ Ling asked after they left the apartment. 

“I could use a drink, it’s been a long couple of days,” he said. 

_ Oh great. So you’re gonna leave me to deal with the hangover while I’m in class. Fantastic.  _

Greed laughed. “Sure.” 

Ling groaned. 

They lapsed into a comfortable silence. The streets were pretty much empty, and Greed seemed to enjoy the cool, night air. He meandered down the sidewalk, hands in his pockets, like he didn’t have a care in the world. 

_ Hey, _ Ling said.  _ So this… immortality thing, you mentioned earlier…  _

“Hm? What about it?” 

_ I’m immortal?  _ He didn’t want to have to wrap his head around that until it was confirmed. 

He shrugged. “Guess so, since I’m not gonna bother your soul.” 

_ Oh, that’s… huh…  _ What was he supposed to do with that? What did that even  _ mean? _ He was going to exist forever, melded with Greed? What were they even going to do for that long without getting bored? 

“We’re gonna rule the world, kid. Trust me, I’m not gonna let us get  _ bored,” _ Greed said, interrupting his train of thought. 

_ Rule the world? Why? _

“I want everything,” he said simply. “And I’m going to get it.” 

_ Sure. Sounds good.  _

Greed snorted. “You’re a condescending bastard.” 

Ling shrugged.  _ If that’s what you say you want, then okay.  _

“Tch.” 

_ I’m just saying, who knows how long you’ve been around, and you don’t seem to have made much progress, _ he continued. 

Greed rolled his eyes. “I don’t know how long I’ve been around. Maybe I  _ was _ close at some point. Who’s to say. I’ve only got bits and pieces of the past few months.” 

_ Oh…  _ Ling hadn’t realized  _ that _ much of his memory was gone. Were those mutilated pieces he’d seen earlier really all Greed had? 

“Eh, it’s fine,” he said. “Can’t imagine they were all that interesting.” 

He rounded a corner, and came face to face with a horrifyingly familiar woman. “Oh fuck—” 

Lust’s claws dug into their chest. “Hey, Greed,” she purred. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the longer wait between updates, I'm coming close to wrapping up the first part of my Fairy Tail rewrite, so I've been working on that (which, if you like FT, you should totally go check it out. It'll def keep you busy for a hot minute). 
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter, and thank you so much for all the nice comments!


	8. Step Eight: get them stabbed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe so many people enjoy this, but all your nice comments definitely motivate me to update as often as I can. Thanks for all the love this fic has been getting! I just finished the first part of my Fairy Tail rewrite, so this fic will probably be getting updates more often again

As Ling was flung back into control of his body, he remembered what Hawkeye said. How fatal wounds were the easiest way to get a demon who didn’t have a strong grip on the body out of control. And at the moment, that was the  _ worst _ thing he could think of. Not only did it mean that he got the brunt of the pain caused by Lust  _ digging into his chest, _ but it also meant  _ he _ was the one responsible for fighting the demon and/or escaping. 

He stared down at the claws in his chest, cutting clean through him, mouth agape, too shocked to even  _ scream.  _ Blood soaked through his shirt and dripped down his torso, hot and sticky. 

Lust yanked her claws out, blood flinging across the sidewalk as they retracted. 

Ling gasped and clutched at his chest, gritting his teeth through the pain as he felt the wounds close up. 

_ You gotta move, kid! _ Greed snapped.  _ She’ll tear us to fucking shreds if you don’t! Unless you wanna fight her!  _

“Hell no, I don’t want to fight her!” he exclaimed, finally snapping out of his shock. 

Lust’s eyes widened, before amused understanding flitted across her features as she began to laugh. “Greed, you fucking moron. You let the human live. Every time I think you can’t sink any lower…” She shook her head. 

_ Arms up! _ Greed said.  _ I’m gonna try something.  _

“What!?” Ling demanded as he took hasty steps backwards. 

_ Just do what I say!  _

Lust lunged forward, her claws shooting right towards his face. 

Ling squeezed his eyes shut and let out a very undignified squeaking noise as he jerked his arms up to guard his face, really hoping her claws didn’t just tear through them before shredding his face apart. 

Her claws scraped against his forearms with an  _ awful _ screeching noise, but he didn’t feel any pain. His eyes snapped open, and as Lust’s claws shoved against him, sparks flew across the dark gray material that coated his arms and hands, tipping off his fingers with a set of his own claws. “What the hell did you do to my hands!?” he shrieked, really hoping that this wasn’t permanent. 

_ I just saved us from getting our eyes torn out. You know, a little appreciation would be nice, _ Greed said. 

Lust huffed and retracted her claws once more, and Ling’s self preservation instincts finally kicked in. He turned and sprinted back down the street. 

_ Hey, hey, hey! Turning your back on her’s not a good idea!  _

“What do you me—” His question was cut off by a scream as her claws dug into his back. Blood bubbled up his throat as he glanced down to see them protruding from his chest. 

_ That’s why, _ Greed said, his voice  _ far _ too calm for the situation they were in. 

Before he could think too much about it, Ling grabbed one of the claws, praying that this did some kind of damage, and snapped off a section. 

Lust howled and retracted the rest of her claws. 

“Ugh! That’s disgusting!” Ling exclaimed, flinging down the severed body part as it began to disintegrate. 

_ While she’s distracted, go for her heart! _ Greed commanded. 

_ “What!?” _ he shrieked. “With was weapon!?” 

_ Your hand, dipshit! Punch it right through her chest!  _

“Oh, no no no no no!” Ling whirled around, deciding it probably wasn’t smart to keep his back turned towards the enemy. “I  _ can’t—”  _

_ Dammit, Ling! It’s not like it’ll kill her, and our asses are on the line here! _

Lust snarled and attacked with her uninjured hand, though the finger he’d broken off was quickly regenerating. 

Ling yelped and jumped backwards, just barely avoiding her claws. “It’d be really great if you could just take over, you know!” 

_ I’m fucking trying, but you’re panic’s makin’ it harder. Your soul is going haywire!  _ he shouted. 

Lust lunged, and Ling  _ knew _ he wasn’t going to be lucky enough to dodge again. Her claws shot towards him, but before they reached him, a wall sprung up from the ground, completely dividing the street in two. 

Someone grabbed his shoulder. Ling screamed and reflexively whipped around to punch the person in the face. 

“Oh, ow…” Alphonse Elric stumbled backwards, his hand flying up to try and catch the blood pouring from his broken nose. 

_ And yet you couldn’t hit Lust like that, _ Greed said, and Ling  _ knew _ he was rolling his eyes. 

“Oh god, I’m so sorry!” Ling exclaimed. 

Al waved him off. “It’ll heal in a moment. We need to go now. That won’t hold her back for long.” 

Ling jumped as Lust shouted in frustration. Not a second later, her claws shot through the stone wall, barely an inch from his head. “Yeah,” he agreed. “Let’s go.” 

Al took off down the street, Ling hot on his heels. “You okay?” Al asked. “How many times did she stab you?” 

“Uh, twice, I think?” All he knew was that he was  _ covered  _ in blood. God, he should be  _ dead. _ He  _ would _ be dead if he didn’t have these insane healing abilities now. He realized his hands were still covered in that strange material. “Hey, can you get rid of this?” 

_ About that, _ Greed said.  _ It’s not really working.  _

“What!?” 

_ You’re lucky I even got that to work while you were in control, _ he said.  _ It’s gonna take a minute. Ever since those bastards nearly killed me, none of my powers have been working quite right.  _

“Oh my god!” 

“Hey, Ed warded your apartment, right?” Al asked. 

“Uh…” Those were all those weird symbols on the wall, right? 

_ Yes, Fullmetal warded the place, _ Greed snapped. 

“Yeah!” he said. “Yeah, it’s warded.” 

Al let out a relieved breath. “Good. ‘Cause there’s no way we’d make it to an Amestris facility before she caught up.” 

* * *

As soon as they got back to the apartment, Ling collapsed, laying face down on the floor. “We are never leaving here again. I cannot  _ take _ this.” 

Lan Fan started awake on the couch. “Ling?” she asked, voice groggy as she cracked an eye open. As soon as she saw the blood, she scrambled off the couch and kneeled down next to him. “Oh my god, Ling! Are you okay?” 

He gave her a thumbs up. “Doing great.” 

“What the fuck is wrong with your  _ hands?” _ she demanded

Greed snickered. 

Ling groaned and thumped his forehead against the floor. “Something I’m gonna deal with later.” 

“He’ll be okay,” Al assured Lan Fan. “I got to him before Lust could do any real damage.” 

The door to Ed’s bedroom banged open. “Could you people shut the  _ fuck _ up? I’m trying to fucking sle—” He cut himself off. “What the hell happened? Are you okay, Al?” 

Ling forced himself to sit up. “Lust happened. You know, I think I might be starting to hate your family as much as you do,” he told Greed. 

_ I’d be concerned if you didn’t, kid, _ Greed said.  _ They fucking suck. And she was one of the ones I didn’t actually mind too much.  _

Ling didn’t even want to  _ think _ about Lust being one of the okay ones. 

“Dammit, Ling,” Ed said as he marched over. “Why the hell did you leave?” 

He held his hands up. “In my defense, no one said I couldn’t, and I wasn’t the one in control.” 

_ Wow, way to throw me under the bus. _

Ed snarled and leaned down to grab a fistful of Ling’s bloody t-shirt. “You got a fucking death wish, Greed?” He began to shake him. “You’re weak as shit right now and the other Seven are out for your head! I don’t give a shit what happens to you, but if you get Ling killed, I swear to  _ god!”  _

_ Tell him to shut the hell up, _ Greed snarled. 

Ling jerked out of Ed’s grasp. “No!” 

_ “Excuse _ me?” Ed demanded. 

“No, not you!” Ling said. “I was talking to— _ argh!” _ He clutched at his head. He was going to go  _ insane _ living like this. 

“Ed, give him a break,” Al said. “Nothing too bad came of it.” 

“Only because you were keeping an eye on him!” he exclaimed. He pointed at Ling. “And you’re lucky it  _ was _ Al! Hawkeye would’ve beat your ass for going out alone like that! Havoc and Rebecca probably would have, too!” 

“Wait, wait, wait,” Lan Fan interrupted. “That witch organization of yours is  _ spying _ on him?” 

“Well,” Al said as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I wouldn’t exactly call it spying. It’s more for… stepping in with situations… like tonight.” 

_ Spying, _ Greed argued.  _ It’s absolutely fucking spying. Can’t say I’m surprised though.  _

Ed pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. “Alright, alright. I admit, probably should have told you to stay put. God knows how bad you are with it, Ling.” He fell onto the couch. “I’ll give you some magic that’ll keep you hidden from other demons for school tomorrow.” 

“Couldn’t have done that as soon as this started?” Ling muttered. 

Ed glared at him. “And I  _ probably _ should have mentioned that Al and the other familiars were going to be keeping an eye on you.” 

“You think?” Lan Fan drawled. “No offense, Al.” 

Al shrugged. “I assumed you knew.” Then he frowned. “Actually, even if you didn’t, Greed should have sensed me following you.  _ And _ Lust.” 

Everyone looked to Ling, like he had some kind of answer. “I don’t know! He never said anything!” 

_ Think I fucking realized it?  _ he asked.  _ Shit, I didn’t realize it was this bad.  _

“Okay, okay. You’ve got class tomorrow, right?” Ed asked. 

Ling nodded. 

“Great. As soon as it’s over, I’m taking you and Lan Fan back to Amestris,” he said. “If Greed’s actually gonna help us out, or hell, if you’re gonna fucking survive this, we gotta do something about this. I figured he was weak, but this is fucking ridiculous. And Ling, you gotta learn how to defend yourself.” 

Al nodded in agreement. “Lust was about to turn you into mincemeat, and that’s probably not the last time you’ll end up in a situation where you won’t be able to rely on Greed to fight.” 

Greed huffed, but surprisingly didn’t argue against going back to Amestris so soon. 

“I want to learn to fight, too,” Lan Fan said. 

“I figured,” Ed muttered. “That’s why I said we should bring you. You’re caught up in this, I guess. It’s only a matter of time before something happens to you, too.” He stood back up and headed towards his bedroom. “Now seriously, keep it fucking down. I don’t get enough sleep anyways, this is the last thing I need.” 

Al waved as he walked out the door. “I’ll be around if anything happens.” 

Ling let out a breath, his shoulders sagging. 

_ I do not like the idea of that Hawkeye lady stalking me, _ Greed said.  _ Shot me point blank like that… I think she’d do it again for fun.  _

“I don’t know,” Ling said. “I thought Hawkeye was kind of nice.” 

Lan Fan gave him a concerned look. “Are you sure you’re okay?” 

He nodded. “Yeah. Stab wounds healed right up. Only hurt for a second.” 

“That’s not what I meant,” she said. 

He shrugged. “I just need a shower. I’ll be fine.” 

She frowned, but settled back onto the couch. “Get some sleep, okay?” 

“Sure, Lan Fan.” He didn’t tell her that he didn’t think he was going to be sleeping again for a while. The last thing he wanted was to see Greed’s nightmares again. 

_ Don’t lie to her, _ Greed said. 

“Look,” Ling said quietly as he shuffled towards the bathroom. “I know you’re like, fundamentally opposed to it, or whatever, but sometimes it’s for the other person’s benefit, not your own.” He’d already made Lan Fan worry too much with this whole situation. He didn’t want to make it any worse than it had to be. 

_ She’ll figure it out eventually, you know, _ he said. 

Ling sighed as he flicked the light on. “Well, then I’ll deal with it then.” 

He stared at his reflection in the mirror. At his tattered clothes, the dark circles beneath his eyes, the blood that covered his entire torso. “I look like a Walking Dead extra.” 

Greed snorted.  _ You wouldn’t look half bad if you took care of yourself.  _

Ling rolled his eyes as he shrugged off the ruined jacket. “You’re the one who keeps getting me shot and stabbed. Besides, I’m a college student. All of us look dead.” Then he frowned. “And since when did you start to be  _ nice? _ Stop it. It’s making me uncomfortable.” 

_ Maybe I got tired of you calling me an asshole and a prick, fucking jackass.  _

“There we go,” he said. “That’s more like it.” 

_ Fuck off!  _


	9. Step Nine: make them realize they're a witch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I'm gonna update more often!   
Also me: *radio silence for two weeks*
> 
> I do have a little bit of an excuse though. Coming home for the holidays (disgusting), my dog had a medical emergency (panic-inducing), and getting stuff sorted out to return to university next semester (really gonna miss this break). Anyways, it's just been hectic
> 
> But I hope you enjoy the chapter nonetheless

Class with Greed was absolutely miserable, not that Ling had expected anything else. He was really going to have to learn how to focus with someone else’s voice in his head. Not to mention a few times he hadn’t managed to stop himself from replying, and the poor girl sitting next to him probably thought he was crazy. 

He never thought he would be relieved to leave class so he could go to secret witch headquarters so he could argue with the demon possessing him in peace, and yet, here he was. 

“What do you think they’re going to teach us?” Lan Fan asked on their way to the antique shop. “Magic?” 

He shook his head. “I don’t think so? I mean, we’re not witches, so we can’t use magic, right?” 

_ Still not sure you ain’t a witch, kid, _ Greed said. 

“No, you shut up. I’m mad at you,” Ling said. 

_ Why?  _

“Because you’re being annoying!” he exclaimed. “God! Just be quiet!” 

“What’s he saying?” Lan Fan asked, leaning over. “Isn’t he always annoying?” 

Ling sighed. “Yeah, pretty much.” 

_ No, you’re just easily irritated. _

“And he thinks I’m a witch,” he said. “Which is  _ stupid.”  _ There was no way he was a witch. True, he didn’t exactly know a lot about witches, or magic, or any of this, really, but he assumed that you had to be  _ born _ a witch, not learn it. And he sure as hell had never used magic in his life. 

But Lan Fan seemed intrigued by the idea. “Why does he think that?” 

Ling shrugged. “I don’t know. Something about my soul being too powerful to be a regular human’s.” 

_ Yeah, it’s fucking weird, _ Greed said. 

“Not that I want to give that prick anything that might even resemble a compliment,” Lan Fan said, “But don’t you think he’d know what he was talking about?” 

He gazed down the street, eyes narrowed. He  _ supposed _ Lan Fan had a point there, even if it still didn’t really make sense to him. “Alright, so say I kind of believe you, about being a witch. Why haven’t I ever done magic before?” 

_ How should I know, dumbass? It’s your life, not mine, _ Greed said. 

Ling really didn’t know what he had expected from him. 

* * *

“Care to tell me why I’m here, Mustang?” Ed asked, clearly not happy about being pulled away from whatever he happened to be working on that day. “Al and I were trying to track Lust back down before the trail goes cold.” 

Riza frowned. As talented and powerful as the brothers were, she wasn’t sure she liked the idea of them trying to take on one of the Seven on their own. Especially not Lust. She loved to play with her kills before ending them. 

“I have some questions about that roommate of yours. And the girl that’s always with him,” Mustang said. 

Ed’s eyebrows knitted together as he leaned forward. “What about Ling?” 

Mustang held his hand out and Riza handed him the documents Fuery had given her earlier, detailing what he could find out about the pair. It wasn’t concrete evidence that they were witches, but it was certainly some interesting information. 

“Do you think he might be a witch?” Mustang asked. 

Ed was silent for a moment, before he busted out laughing. “Ling!? A  _ witch?” _ He leaned on Mustang’s desk, shoulders shaking as he tried to contain his laughter. “Fuck no! There’s no way in hell!” 

“And why do you say that?” Mustang questioned. 

Ed finally stopped laughing, and his eyes narrowed. “What do you mean? That guy’s as normal as can be! He doesn’t know jackshit about any of this.” 

“There’s a difference between knowledge and ability,” Riza pointed out. 

He frowned. “Alright, obviously you’ve got a reason for asking about this. What’s up?” 

“I think they might be witches,” she said. “I sensed that power from Lan Fan, and possibly from Ling, but I couldn’t be sure due to it being smothered by Greed’s own powers.” She gave Ed a hard look. “Which is why we need to know if you’ve ever felt or sensed anything odd about him.” 

“Well obviously not,” he said. “I just swore up and down he was perfectly normal.” 

“Now I know it’s not exactly your strong suit,” Mustang said. “But could you at least  _ try _ to think of anything?” 

Ed growled, but surprisingly didn’t fire back a retort. He stepped back from the desk. “Look, not saying you’re wrong, but there’s really nothing weird about him. And if you’re this concerned about it, you’ve got more proof than just Hawkeye’s  _ feeling.”  _

Mustang handed the papers to Ed. “Fuery looked into them. And their families have ties to Xing.” 

“Yeah? So?” Ed asked. “Lots of humans are probably related to witches distantly. It’s not a big deal.” 

“True, but beyond that, there’s no records of Ling and Lan Fan existing. They have legal documentation, but that’s it,” he said. “Up until about a year ago, it’s like they didn’t exist.” 

_ “What?” _ Ed demanded. “What the hell does that even mean?” 

“We don’t really know,” Mustang said. “That’s the issue. How long have you known them? Have you met any other friends? Family members?” 

Ed’s frown deepened. “Several months. And no, I haven’t. I know Lan Fan has a grandfather she’s close with, but I’ve never met him. Ling’s never really mentioned a family at all. So what, you think they’re leading some weird double life or some shit?” 

Riza shook her head. “No. Definitely not. I would be able to tell if they were lying, not to mention their reactions to all of this have been genuine. No, something else is going on here.” 

“Well I don’t know anything about it,” he said as he left the office. “But they should be here any minute so they can learn enough shit to survive.” He slammed the door behind him. 

Mustang frowned. “I wonder if he’s ever going to grow up.” 

Riza shook her head. “Well that was useless.” 

He hummed. “Well, it’s not like we expected him to know anyways.” 

“It’s still all very odd,” she said. “Xing is a large organization, but I doubt they would let witches just slip through the cracks like that.” 

“Doesn’t Al work with a Xing witch occasionally? Maybe he could ask her about it…” He sighed. “It’s a long shot, with how many witches there are in Xing, but you never know.” 

“Whatever happened, someone would have to be very powerful to pull something like that off,” she said. “If their memories and existence have really been changed…” 

“I know,” he said. “We might have just landed ourselves in a very complicated situation.” 

* * *

“Ling, are you a witch?” Ed demanded as soon as he stepped inside. 

“Oh my god, Ed, learn to chill,” Rebecca called from her spot behind the counter. 

“Jesus Christ, no!” he exclaimed. “I’m not a witch!” Why was everyone asking him that today? Since when had he ever done anything… witch-like at all? 

Ed backed off, not looking entirely convinced, but he said, “Well… okay… if you’re sure.” 

_ Thought you were actually going to entertain the idea? _ Greed asked. 

“Yeah well, I did for a few minutes, and it doesn’t make sense,” Ling answered. 

Ed rolled his eyes. “You have got to learn how to reply to him in your head.” He motioned for them to follow him. “Come on. Ling, you’re with me and Al. Lan Fan, you’re with Winry and Havoc.” 

Lan Fan groaned. “Why can’t we ever do anything together here?” 

“Because I have to handle Greed’s fucking incompetence,” Ed complained. “Besides, Havoc specializes in weaponry, which is what you’re going to have to learn to use since you don’t have magic,” he told Lan Fan. 

_ Yeah, fuck you, too, half-pint, _ Greed muttered. 

Lan Fan sighed. “Great.” 

* * *

“Alright.” Havoc handed Lan Fan a small dagger. “We’re gonna go over the basics first, since I’m gonna assume you have no kind of experience with this type of thing.” 

She shook her head. No, she had not, in fact, ever learned anything about sword fighting in her entire life. Though as she passed the little knife from hand to hand, she couldn’t help but be disappointed. “This is just a knife?” she said. 

“Well it’s not like you can use witch or demon weapons,” Havoc said. “You don’t have power. They wouldn’t work for you.” 

“Why not?” She turned towards the weapon rack Winry leaned against. Those blades certainly looked a lot more intimidating and useful than the tiny steak knife she’d been handed. 

Winry picked up one of the small swords, and the blade glowed as she touched it. “You have to have witch blood and power in you for them to respond. I don’t know if you could even pick these up.” But she frowned, almost like she wasn’t sure of what she was saying. “Or they might even hurt you.” 

“Here.” Havoc pulled a pistol out of the holster on his belt. “Try this.” 

Lan Fan frowned, but took the gun. As soon as her fingers brushed it, she yelped and jerked away, staring at the mild burns flaring to life on her skin. “What the hell?” 

“It’s a demon weapon,” he explained. “Only meant to be used by demons.” 

She grimaced. “That’s stupid. And why the hell would you make something like that anyways?” What if they were in a situation where there was no demon around to use it? What then? 

Winry placed the blade back on the rack. “We didn’t. Demons were created for battle. Their weapons appear with them.” 

Havoc nodded and slid the gun back into the holster. “Had that my whole life.” 

“Wait.” Lan Fan tried wrapping her head around what she’d just been told. “Okay, that makes no sense for a lot of reasons. One, so what, are you born holding a sword or some shit? Two, I thought you said you were old, why do you have a gun? Three, who owns all the other weapons you use? And finally, does that mean witches are born with weapons, too?” 

“God you ask a lot of questions,” Havoc said. 

“You can’t say something like that and then expect me not to ask questions!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms up. 

“Well, to answer one of your questions, no, witches aren’t born with weapons,” Winry said. “We do actually make those. We got the idea from demon weapons.” She eyed the weapons rack. “Though I personally don’t like them. I don’t see the point in the constant fighting.” 

“Oh. Okay.” 

Havoc sighed and pulled the gun out again. It began to glow, before expanding into a bow. “This is its original form, since I was created to be an archer. Hawkeye was, too, actually.” He held the bow out and pulled the bowstring taut. “But we don’t use bows much anymore, given the times. Guns are a bit more practical.” He relaxed the string and let the massive bow morph back into the pistol. “And even though we’re created with them, weapons don’t disappear when a demon dies. So all the other ones we use we pulled off corpses, basically.” 

“That’s sick!” Lan Fan exclaimed. 

“Well it’s not like  _ they’re _ going to be using them,” he argued. 

“Still!” She shook her head. “And that doesn’t explain where the weapons came from in the first place.” 

Winry sighed. “Demons aren’t born, they’re made, by the original Seven.” 

Lan Fan turned to Havoc. “Wait some you were literally  _ made _ to be one of those guys’ archers?” 

He nodded. “Wrath, specifically. Hate that bastard.” 

“So that means Greed has created other demons?” she asked. 

Havoc shrugged. “Probably. At some point. Never met any created by him, though.” 

“But then who created the Seven?” 

“No fucking idea,” Havoc answered. “No one really knows anything about the Seven. That’s part of the reason no one’s ever been able to take them down.” 

Lan Fan stared at the weapons rack. Ling wouldn’t be safe until the Seven were either gone or dead. She walked over to the rack, eyes locked on a beautiful katana. 

“Wait, what are you doing?” Winry demanded. 

Lan Fan grabbed the blade, and it began to glow. 

* * *

“We’re mostly going to be working on helping Greed get his power back,” Al said. “So you’ll probably want to give him control for this.” 

Ling prepared to give control to Greed, but Ed said, “Wait a minute, I want you to try something first.” 

_ Aw, come on, _ Greed complained. 

“What?” he asked. Surely making sure Greed could defend himself, and Ling by extension, was more important than anything Ed wanted to teach to Ling. 

Ed grabbed a small sword off one of the many weapon racks in the room. “Just hold this.” 

“Uh… okay?” Ling reached out and took the sword, marveling at how pretty the weapon was. “Why?” 

“Hawkeye was right,” Al gasped. 

“Right about wh…?” His question died away as the sword began to glow. Faintly, at first, but the light soon became blinding. Ling squeaked and dropped the sword. 

Greed began to cackle.  _ Told you you were a witch.  _


	10. Step Ten: help them through a mental breakdown (terribly)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you for all the nice comments! They really do brighten by day, especially while I'm home for the holidays. Also, my dog will be okay, he's just on medication for a little while now

“I’m not a witch, though!” Ling protested, staring down at the sword with wide eyes. “I’m… I’m just not!” 

“Eeeehhhhh….” Ed bent down and picked the sword up. “This doesn’t really leave a lot of room for argument. Only witches can make these do that. Why do you think I never let you touch all mine?” 

“I don’t know, just to be a bitch?” Ling suggested. 

Greed laughed, and even Al bit back a snicker, earning a glare from Ed. 

“No, it’s ‘cause these things hurt regular humans,” Ed said as he waved the sword around. “You might wanna take this seriously.” 

“I am taking it seriously!” Ling argued. “But at a certain point, all of this is just so ridiculous.” He sighed. “It’s just… so much…” 

_ I’m not that bad, _ Greed grumbled. 

“Maybe if you didn’t come ‘buy one demon, get fifty thousand life or death problems for free,’ no, you wouldn’t be,  _ but!”  _ Ling snapped. He pointed at the sword in Ed’s hand. “That doesn’t prove anything, because it doesn’t make  _ sense!” _

_ I think fifty thousand is a bit much, _ Greed argued.  _ How about fifty?  _

“Now’s really not the time for denial or breakdowns,” Ed said as he rolled his eyes. “We don’t have time for it.” He tried to hand Ling the sword again. 

He shook his head. “Uh uh, no. No. I’m  _ not _ a witch!” 

“Why are you so against the idea?” Ed demanded, narrowing his eyes. “This is really where you draw the line?” 

“Well you gotta put it somewhere!” he exclaimed. 

“He does have a point, Ed,” Al said. “This is a lot at once. Maybe give him a minute?” 

Ed looked like he was about to argue, but he glanced at Ling again, and his expression softened, if only a little. “Yeah, whatever. I have to go talk to Winry, I’ll be back in a minute. Al, come on.” 

Al offered Ling a small, reassuring smile before following after his brother, leaving him alone to stare at the rack full of weapons that supposedly only witches could use. 

_ This could be really useful. Means we can use demon weapons and witch weapons, _ Greed said. 

“Demon weapons?” Ling asked. “Are you kid—No, you know what, I don’t want to know.” He fell against the wall and ran his hand down his face. 

_ If you’re going to have a breakdown, I want control. You can cry while I handle some other shit, _ he said. 

“You are so insensitive!” Ling said. “And you can’t just say it’s because you’re a demon, because you know what, a lot of them seem really nice!” 

_ Being nice never got me anything, _ he said. 

Ling grit his teeth. “You know what, fine!  _ Fine! _ You get the body!” He gave up control, forcing Greed to take over, who was too shocked to actually take over himself. 

He was done! Done with all of this. Done with getting possessed, with learning about a giant secret society of witches and magic users. Done with learning  _ he _ was one of said witches. If he just tapped out, he didn’t have to deal with it. Thanks to Greed, that was an option he had. 

“Seriously?” Greed asked. “Didn’t take you for the cowardly type.” 

Ling ignored him. He was  _ tired _ of being treated like some exciting, brand new plaything for every demon and witch that came across him. 

“Well, whatever. I don’t give a fuck.” Greed shoved his hands in his pockets and sauntered off to go bother somebody else. 

* * *

Lan Fan chose not to focus on the glowing blade, or the fact that it didn’t burn her like Havoc’s weapon had. She swung the sword a few times, experimenting with it. The balance was amazing, and it felt so  _ natural _ in her hand. 

“That’s… Uh… You shouldn’t be able to do that,” Havoc finally got out. “Unless…” He glanced at Winry. 

Winry gnawed at her lip. “Lan Fan… you’re a witch, aren’t you?” 

She shrugged. “Guess I’d have to be, huh?” She didn’t understand it, didn’t know how something like that should even be possible, but… the proof was right in front of her. 

The glowing blade didn’t leave much room for arguments. 

“Not only that.” Havoc leaned forward, inspecting the way she held the blade, the way she moved it like it was an extension of her body. “You… have experience with swords.” 

She shook her head. “No, I don’t. I’ve never touched a sword in my life.” 

“You very clearly have,” he argued. “No one who’s never touched a blade handles it like that.” 

“I haven’t even done anything with it!” she said. 

Winry shook her head. “He’s right. You’re more comfortable with it than I am, not that that takes a lot, but still. The way you swung it earlier, you had to have learned at least something at some point in your life.” 

“But that doesn’t make sense!” she argued. 

“Kid, I don’t think there’s a lot about you guys that makes sense,” Havoc said as he lit up a cigarette. “There’s a lot to unpack here.” 

“But I—” 

“Hey, where’s that Hawkeye lady? I wanna talk to her,” Ling said as he stuck his head inside the room. No,  _ not _ Ling, Lan Fan realized.  _ Greed. _

Havoc bristled. “Why?” 

Greed stepped inside the room, and Lan Fan  _ hated _ the energy that radiated from him. She hated seeing her best friend’s body being used like this. Ling  _ never _ had such a smug expression on his face. It pissed her the hell off. 

“I wanna talk to her,” he said. “About Lust.” Then he grinned as his gaze shifted towards the sword in Lan Fan’s hand. “So you’re a witch, too. You just get more and more impressive.” 

Lan Fan growled. “Give Ling his body back.” 

Greed shrugged. “Nah. Actually, he handed it over willingly. It’s mine.” 

Winry sighed. “Nice to see you again, Greed,” she said before Lan Fan could say anything else. 

He narrowed his eyes. “We met before, sweetheart?” 

“Briefly. When you had that little run in with Ed about a year ago,” she said. “I can’t say it was a pleasure.” 

“It never is with you witches,” he said. “Now seriously, where’s the gun chick?” 

“I don’t know,” Havoc said. “Not here.” 

“Alright, alright.” He gave Lan Fan another grin before he left. “Ling says hi.” 

Lan Fan’s grip on the sword tightened. “I hate him.” 

* * *

_ I did not tell her hi, _ Ling muttered.  _ Why are you such an ass to her?  _

_ Aw, come on, it’s fun, _ Greed said.  _ She’s easy to rile up. What do you think about her being a witch, too? Quite the impressive woman.  _

Ling didn’t reply. 

Greed rolled his eyes. Was he really going to sulk over being a  _ witch?  _ Didn’t make a damn bit of sense to him. He might not like witches, but power was power. If the kid knew how to use it, maybe he wouldn’t be in this situation. 

Any witches or familiars he encountered in the halls skirted around him, sending him wary or hostile glances. Not that he cared. If his powers were working the way they were supposed to, he wouldn’t be anywhere near this damned place. 

It took a few minutes, but finally he found Hawkeye. He wasn’t fond of the demoness, not after shooting him like that, but from the looks of things, she was one of the most competent members of this organization, and one of the few he might not mind working with, in all actuality. “Hey, gun lady.” 

Hawkeye frowned, and excused herself from the familiar she was speaking with. “I’ll talk to you later, Sheshka.” She took a deep breath. “What do you want, Greed? I thought you were working with Fullmetal.” 

“Brat ran off somewhere,” he said. “Besides, I wanted to talk to you. Which of the Seven made you?” 

She grimaced. “Wrath.” 

“Ah.” Not surprising that Wrath would create such a focused individual. It also didn’t surprise him that his creations would turn traitor. From what he could remember, Wrath was an absolute  _ bastard.  _ “I don’t suppose you want to get rid of some of them. I was thinking Lust, since that bitch wants to stab me like that, but I could get behind Wrath.” 

“What are you talking about?” she asked. 

He grinned. “What, you really think I don’t know how to kill them?” He hadn't offered them the information at the beginning, because he wasn't sure if they would just kill him afterwards, but now that he knew they wanted to protect Ling, he was perfectly fine with telling them how to kill his bastard siblings. And besides, maybe it would get Ling to stop pouting if they started getting rid of the demons who wanted to kill them. 

Her eyes widened.  _ “What?  _ How!?” 

“Greed! Come with me!” Ed said as he came up behind him, before grabbing his ponytail and tugging him after him. 

“You fucking brat,” Greed hissed as he wrenched out of his hold. 

“Ed! Wait!” Hawkeye said. “We were talking!” 

Ed grimaced. “You can talk later. Armstrong’s back, and she’s gonna kick all of our asses for deciding what to do with _him_ without her.” 

Hawkeye paled. “I’ll go get Mustang.” Then she raced down the hallway as quickly as possible without actually running. 

“Who the fuck is Armstrong?” Greed demanded. 

“The death of us all,” Ed grumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Give Ling his body back. He can be weirdly endearing at times, not that Armstrong will care, but he also knows when to keep his mouth shut, which is a critical skill to have around her.” 

“Oh, so I’m guessing she doesn’t like  _ you _ very much,” Greed snickered. 

Ed glared at him. “Seriously! Give his body back!” 

_ I don’t want control back, _ Ling said, finally speaking up again.  _ I’m protesting.  _

_ Whatever you say, brat. _ “He doesn’t want to.” 

“What do you  _ mean _ he doesn’t want to!?” Ed shouted “Ling! Stop being a dumbass!” 

“Fullmetal!” 

Ed tensed up, before slowly turning around. “H-Hey, Armstrong. What’s up?” 

Greed eyed the blonde woman at the end of the hallway, who glared at Ed so fiercely he stumbled backwards into Greed. 

Ling laughed.  _ This ought to be fun.  _


	11. Step Eleven: teach them how to kill demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who actually plotted this out and finished an outline???? This bastard! And not only for this fic, but for several other ones as well! Like holy shit, fucking outlines??? Who am I??? 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter :D

Olivier Mira Armstrong. The woman in charge of this branch of Amestris, a witch so powerful she could sustain  _ two _ familiars, and confident enough to keep the rest of the organization off her back. 

Ling didn’t know a lot about witches, but after being in her presence for just a few seconds, he understood the branch’s panic over her dropping by unannounced. She stalked down the hallway, fingers tapping the hilt of her sword as she approached them. “Fullmetal.” She towered over them, despite being a couple inches shorter than Ling. “Care to tell me why you’re cowering behind the undocumented demon hiding out in my base.” 

“Ah, you must be the lady in charge here,” Greed said. “I knew it wasn’t that fire bitch.” 

_ Maybe you shouldn’t antagonize her, _ Ling said. 

_ Shut up. That was a compliment. Besides, I thought you were  _ protesting, he snapped back, before flashing Armstrong a toothy grin. 

She scoffed. “Fullmetal.  _ Answers.” _

Ed laughed nervously as he peaked around Greed. “You know, I think you’ll really want to talk to Mustang about that one. This was all his idea.” 

She raised an eyebrow. “Really?” 

Ed nodded. “Yeah!” 

She grabbed the back of Greed’s coat, proceeding to drag him down the hallway. “Hey! Fucking watch it!” Greed snapped. 

“It’s better if you don’t struggle!” Ed called. 

Greed wrestled out of her hold. “All these goddamn witches… Shootin’ me, draggin’ me around. Just fucking ask!” 

_ Would you actually do what they asked? _ Ling said.  _ You’re kind of a prick. _

_ Yeah, I fucking know, you’ve told me that a lot!  _

Armstrong laughed. “So someone  _ did _ shoot you? Good. Although I  _ am _ a little curious as to why they didn’t finish the job.” 

“Maybe I have something of value to offer your pathetic fight against my siblings,” Greed sneered. 

“So you  _ are _ one of the Seven,” she said. “Greed, I assume. I had my suspicions, but I didn’t think even Mustang would be that idiotic.” 

Ling frowned. So even in this branch of Amestris the leadership didn’t get along? How was this organization still functioning? 

God, he hoped not all witches were this bad. What did that say about him, if he really was a witch? 

_ Shut up, witches ain’t that bad, _ Greed said. 

_ Huh? I thought you hated witches.  _

Greed sighed.  _ Nah, I’ve just dealt with the shitty ones. I mean, you and your girl ain’t that bad.  _

Ling didn’t answer, still not sure how to reply to anything that Greed said that wasn’t an insult. Nor did he want to tackle being a witch yet. 

Did that mean he had powers? What powers  _ exactly? _ Despite knowing that Ed and Winry were witches now, he still hadn’t exactly seen them do  _ magic. _ Just the warding and sigils and that kind of thing. 

_ I tell you what though,  _ Greed said.  _ I’m looking forward to this chick fucking Mustang up. That bastard’s too damn smug for his own good.  _

Ling scoffed.  _ You’re one to talk about being smug.  _

* * *

Lan Fan winced as she listened to the yelling coming from Mustang’s office. Most of it was about making important decisions without Armstrong being consulted. What wasn’t was about the stupidity of working with Greed. 

Occasionally, Lan Fan thought she might have heard Greed say something, but he was… surprisingly quiet. 

“Maybe we should wait to tell her that you two are witches for a while,” Winry said. 

Lan Fan grunted and crossed arms, before sliding down in her chair. “Is she really the one in charge here?” 

Winry nodded. “She’s actually really good at her job. Everyone respects her.” Then she frowned. “Well, some are just  _ scared _ of her, but I don’t think she cares.” 

“She’s hot,” Lan Fan said. 

“Oh absolutely,” Winry agreed. 

“She good with that sword?” 

Winry nodded again. 

“Damn.” If only she were a few years older. 

“Trust me, I know,” she said. “But don’t worry about it. She’s very analytical and practical. Once Mustang and Hawkeye explain everything, she’ll come around. Though… she probably won’t be happy about being undermined.” 

“Hey, Winry?” Lan Fan turned to look at the blonde. 

“Hm?” 

“I just wanted to say thanks, for… helping us out,” she said. “Thanks for trying to explain, and all that kind of thing. I don’t know  _ what _ I might be thinking or doing without you.” 

“Oh.” Winry’s smile was soft, and warm. “Of course, Lan Fan. We’re friends. Of course I’ll help you.” 

* * *

“Don’t you want to know how to kill the Seven?” Greed asked. “I was about to tell your lovely little familiar, before I was interrupted.” 

Armstrong and Mustang froze, mouths snapping shut with audible  _ clicks. _

Ling couldn’t help but laugh. The pair of them had been at each other’s throats for the past ten minutes, trading witty, back-handed insults. Greed had just been standing in the corner, watching. Ling had to admit that it  _ was  _ kind of entertaining. 

_ “What?” _ Armstrong demanded. 

“Mmhm, yeah.” Greed nodded. “I was going to tell you how to kill the Seven. Provided my head’s not on the chopping block, that is.” 

Mustang waved him off. “I already told you no one was going to kill you. Not while you’re possessing Ling.” 

“Oh no, I was talking to her,” Greed said as he pointed at Armstrong. 

She glared at him, eyes narrowed. “So  _ this _ is why you kept him around.” 

All of a sudden, Ling  _ really _ wanted his body back, and began to regret being petty. He had no doubt this woman would kill them if she decided that was the best course of action. She probably wouldn’t lose any sleep over it either. He didn’t have a lot of faith in Greed’s self preservation skills.  _ Hey, can I— _

_ Nope, you dug your hole, now lie in it, _ Greed said.  _ It’s my turn for a while.  _

Ling groaned. 

“Well?” Mustang asked. “How?” 

Greed crossed his arms. “Seriously, lady. Not until I get a guarantee that handing over this info isn’t going to end up with me dead in a ditch.” 

_ Please be nicer when you talk to her!  _ Ling pleaded. 

“Fine,” Armstrong said as she stepped back from Mustang’s desk. “Until I deem you a threat.” 

“Fair enough.” Greed pushed himself out of the corner and sat down in one of the chairs, slouching down in a really uncomfortable way. God, didn’t that  _ bother _ him? “So to kill a regular demon, you just kill ‘em, yeah? It’s a little harder than you witches and humans ‘cause of the regenerative abilities, but if you burn them, cut the head off, completely destroy the heart, they’re done.” 

“We know how to kill demons,” Armstrong hissed. “But  _ your _ particular group just doesn’t want to fucking die.” 

Greed nodded. “Yep, we’re some tough bastards.” 

_ Wait, so you’re saying if you were a regular demon, Hawkeye shooting us would have  _ killed _ us? _ Ling demanded. 

_ No, she knew what she was doing. Just one shot wouldn’t be enough to kill any demon, even a really fucking weak one, _ he said. 

“We’re aware,” Mustang said. “Short of throwing you in a volcano, I think we’ve tried just about everything.” 

Ling thought Greed might have winced, but he wasn’t sure. “Yeah, see, the thing is we’re put together a little sturdier than the others, a little differently. But what we’re made from isn’t important—” 

Ling wasn’t too sure about that. 

“What you need to know to take down my bastard siblings, is that holy magic’ll do the trick. Holy magic, and a lot of it,” Greed said. 

_ Holy magic?  _

“We’ve tried holy magic,” Armstrong snapped as her hand went towards her sword. “You think we were too stupid to try  _ holy magic _ against  _ demons?” _

Greed snickered and shook his head. “Then you didn’t destroy the cores.” 

_ What’s holy magic? _ Ling asked. 

_ What the fuck do you think it is? Blessed magic, light magic, whatever the fuck you wanna call it, the  _ opposite _ of demon shit, _ Greed said. 

“The cores?” Mustang asked. “What, like your heart? I once burnt Envy to a pile of ashes and he was fine.” 

Greed shook his head. “Not heart. Right now, my core is in this kid’s bloodstream. It takes a lot to destroy it. You have to kill them, over and over and over.” 

“So kill them over and over again with holy magic and eventually they actually die?” Mustang asked. 

Greed shrugged. “More or less.” 

“I’m considering trying it out on you,” Armstrong growled. 

He rolled his eyes. “You won’t. My vote is you try it out on Wrath or Lust though. Maybe Envy. God, I’d love to put Pride six feet under but that’s a fucking suicide mission.” 

Armstrong and Mustang exchanged a glance. “Alright, I’ll buy into this for now,” she said. “But if this doesn’t check out, we’ll figure out how to kill the Seven via process of elimination.” She drew her sword and pressed it against Greed’s chest. “And we’ll be using you as the guinea pig.” 

Greed grinned. “Sounds good, sweetheart.” 

_ Oh my god, you  _ better _ not be lying!  _ Ling hissed. 

_ How many times I gotta tell you, I don’t lie, _ Greed said. 

Armstrong scoffed, but sheathed her sword once more. “Get out, demon. I have some other things to discuss with Mustang.” 

Greed got up, cracking his back in the process. “Sure thing. See you around.” 

_ Hey, Greed?  _

_ Hm?  _

_ If your core isn’t your heart, what is it?  _ Ling asked. 

Greed sighed.  _ Don’t worry about it, kid.  _

* * *

“Thanks again for this, Mei,” Al said. 

Mei smiled. “Oh, it’s no trouble! Of course, I doubt I’ll know who they are. Xing is a very large organization, you know.” 

He nodded. “I know. I’m not expecting you to. It’s just… might as well try, you know?” 

She laughed, before quieting. “It is odd though,” she said as they opened the door to the antique shop. “I haven’t heard of any Xingese witches going missing recently though. Or at least, not any that would just turn up like this.” 

“Hey, Al!” Rebecca called. “Oooo, who’s your cute little lady friend?” 

Mei waved. “I’m Mei Chang! I’m with Xing, but I’m here to meet with Ed’s roommate, see if I recognize him.” 

Rebecca nodded. “Oh, okay! I think he just got finished getting chewed out by Armstrong. He’s around here somewhere.” 

Al winced. Armstrong, huh? That was rough. Thankfully, she seemed to like him, so he’d never been on the receiving end of her wrath, but he’d seen plenty of times how intense she could be. 

“She wasn’t that bad,” Greed said as he sauntered into the room. “Actually I kinda liked her.” 

Mei’s eyes widened, shock and confusion quickly taking over her features. 

“Mei?” Al asked. 

“Ling!” she exclaimed, bounding forward to grab his hand. “Ling, where have you  _ been?” _

“Huh?” Greed pulled his hand away and took a step back. “Who the hell are you?” 

Mei’s shock shifted to anger. “Get out of his body! Give him his body back!” 

“Woah, woah, Mei, you know him?” Al asked as he moved forward and rested his hand on her shoulder. 

“Of course I know him!” she said, still not taking her eyes off Greed. “That’s-That’s—” 

“Ling says he doesn’t have any idea who you are,” Greed said, before patting Mei’s head. “Sorry, kid.” 

“Wha— _ Doesn’t _ know me?” Mei demanded. “Ling, I’m your  _ sister!”  _

Even Greed looked shocked by that, and Al couldn’t believe that this situation managed to get even  _ more _ complicated. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? Drooling over General Armstrong via Lan Fan? Absolutely. But I'm gay and that's how it be


	12. Step Twelve: help them meet a long lost sister

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Classes are already kicking my ass I don't know jackshit about computer programming lmao

Ending up with a weird roommate that might be part of a cult? Ling could take that in stride. Getting possessed by a demon? Pretty wild, but nothing he couldn’t handle. Finding out he was a witch? That was when he began to decide this might be too much, but he would get over it. But apparently having a little sister that he had  _ no _ memory of? 

That was it. That was  _ officially _ too fucking much. 

“Ling, you’ve been missing for over a year now!” Mei continued, as if she thought that would jog his memory, and  _ not _ just get him more confused. “What  _ happened? _ Why are you with Amestris? How did you get  _ possessed!?  _ You never would have let yourself get possessed!” 

_ Ah shit, I’m giving you control back, _ Greed said.  _ I’m not playing messenger for you. _

And just like that, the body was his again. Which meant he had to think of how to  _ respond _ to this girl. “I… I’m sorry, I just… I really don’t know who you are,” Ling said. 

Al was just watching the situation unfold with wide eyes, like he had no idea what he was supposed to do. 

Ling could relate. 

Mei’s mouth opened and closed, before she finally settled on shouting, “What the hell did you  _ do, _ you  _ jackass!?” _

Ling bit back a shocked noise, not expecting this adorable girl to start screaming profanities at him. 

“You don’t remember me!?” She groaned through gritted teeth. “Of course you don’t! I shouldn’t even be surprised! You were always getting into trouble! Fuck, I don’t even know what to  _ do _ now! I can’t just take you back to Xing with no memories and with a demon in your head, you’ll be torn to pieces!” 

_ Damn, that little lady’s got spunk! _ Greed said. 

“Uh…” Ling still had no idea what to say. “It’s Mei, right?” 

“Yeah!” she snapped. 

“You’re  _ sure _ you’re not mistaking me for someone else?” he asked. 

She stomped her foot.  _ “Yeah, _ I’m fucking sure,  _ dumbass!”  _

“Mei!” Al gasped. 

“Please, I’ve heard the way your brother swears, Al, and you don’t get onto him,” she said. 

“Well, yes, but that’s because I’ve given up on scolding him,” he muttered. 

“Oh…” Ling pressed a hand to his head and stumbled backwards a step. A sister? He didn’t  _ have a sister! _ Well, he had Lan Fan, but she wasn’t an  _ actual _ sister. 

_ I hope you know she’s not lying, kid, _ Greed said.  _ She’s telling the truth. Or at least, she believes what she’s saying.  _

Ling laughed, and he could admit it sounded a tad hysterical. “I’m going to go find Lan Fan. I need… I need to talk to Lan Fan.” 

“Oh, great! Lan Fan’s here, too!” Mei sighed and shook her head. “I am glad you’re okay, though, Ling. We were starting to fear the worst.” 

“Uh… Yeah…” he said. “I’m gonna… I’m gonna go now…” He turned on his heel and rushed off, trying to wrap his around whatever the hell had just happened. 

* * *

Riza knew that the situation with Ling Yao was precarious. Being possessed by one of the Seven was a delicate enough situation, especially without anyone outside of their branch knowing. Add on the possible Xing connection and the possibility of missing and altered memories, and it was even more concerning. 

But as complicated as it was, she had never expected it to be this bad. 

“You’re telling me that you are Ling’s little sister?” Mustang asked. 

The girl, Mei Chang, nodded. “Yes, he’s been missing for over a year, along with Lan Fan.” 

Riza let out a breath. So Xing didn’t actually know what happened to Ling either? From what she understood, Mei was fairly high up in the Xing chain of command, so surely she would know if it had something to do with an official operation of some kind. 

“Care to elaborate on that?” Mustang prompted. 

Mei narrowed her eyes. “I don’t see what it has to do with you.” 

“At the moment, he’s aligned with Amestris, so it’s important we have this information,” Mustang said. “Alphonse, why don’t you go find Armstrong. I’m sure she’ll be interested in this.” 

“Uh, yes sir.” He gave Mei a worried look, then left the office. 

“He’s not an Amestrian witch, though!” Mei argued. 

Riza decided to step in. As much as she cared for and respected Mustang, he wasn’t the greatest when it came to dealing with delicate situations like this. “Miss Chang, think about it this way. Does Ling  _ want _ to leave? I’m sorry, but he doesn’t know you, but he  _ does _ know us, Ed and Winry especially. I’m not sure he would go with you, even if we could just let him waltz off while he’s possessed by Greed. And that’s another thing, too. Greed has agreed to work for us, so it’s not just convincing Ling to go back to Xing with you, it’d be convincing Greed, too.” 

Mei huffed and crossed her arms. “I  _ don’t _ want to take him back to Xing, not until he gets his memories back, anyways. But I don’t want him  _ here, _ either.” 

“Well that’s too bad,” Riza said. “So why don’t you try and make this situation a little easier for him by explaining what you know about him.” 

Mei sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know much. We were never really close, until we got older, anyways. Our family has been a part of Xing for generations, and we’ve all been powerful witches. Powerful enough that Lan Fan’s family formed an alliance with ours. She was actually Ling’s body guard.” 

“Body guard?” Riza couldn’t help but ask. Why would he need a  _ body guard? _

She nodded. “Xing’s big. A lot bigger than your organization. Power struggles are common, and Ling was right on track to end up in a very high position of power. People get jealous, and they tried to kill him. So Lan Fan was assigned to keep him alive.” 

“Okay, but if you’re his sister, shouldn’t you be in the same situation?” Mustang asked. 

She shrugged. “I’ve had a few assassination attempts, but not nearly as many. But I was raised further away from the city, Ling and I have different mothers, and I wasn’t exactly groomed for a powerful position, so I’m not seen as a threat, really.” She sighed. “It’s a complex situation. So when he disappeared… a lot of us assumed the worst. Our only hope was that we never found a body. So you had something to do with his loss of memory?” 

“What?” Mustang asked. “Of course not! According to Ed  _ and _ Ling, he’s a perfectly normal college student, and has been nothing but normal his entire life. The same could be said for Lan Fan.” 

Mei’s frown deepened. “What?” 

Riza hummed. “He wasn’t even aware he was a witch, or knew that witches existed, and would likely still believe those things, had he not ended up living with Ed, purely by accident.” 

“Then how…?” She began to twirl one of her braids around her finger. “That doesn’t make any sense…” 

“That’s why we were hoping you had some answers,” Mustang said. 

She shook her head. “Well I don’t.” 

The office door was thrown open, and Armstrong stepped inside. “Mustang! Care to tell me why you’re allowing demons and Xing witches to roam my base like they own the place?” 

Mustang sighed. 

* * *

“A  _ sister?” _ Lan Fan demanded. 

“I guess?” Ling sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know. Everyone’s convinced she’s telling the truth, though. And honestly, at this point… I think I’ll believe anything…” 

Lan Fan pulled him down to sit next to her, and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll get it figured out.” She’d never seen Ling look so confused and overwhelmed. She hated that there was nothing she could do about it. 

He let out a shaky sigh. “But what does that  _ mean? _ What else am I missing?” he asked. “What if I’m missing my whole life?” 

She gnawed at her lip, desperately trying to come up with someway to reassure him, but how could she? He was right. If a whole  _ sister _ could be erased from his mind without a trace, god knew what else might be gone. 

“Greed says it’ll be fine,” he continued. “But I don’t know…” 

She bit back a snarky comment. If Ling was going to be civil with the demon, she supposed the least she could do was not give him grief over it. “We could try talking to my grandfather?” she suggested. “I don’t like to think that he would hide something this big from me… but obviously I’m connected to this too, so maybe he’ll know something.” 

“Might as well give it a try,” Ling said. 

Lan Fan stared down at her hands, clenching them and unclenching them, imagining the feeling of holding a blade. It’d felt so  _ natural. _ Was she missing memories as well? Memories of wielding a blade? 

Ling chuckled. 

“What?” she asked. 

“Oh… nothing,” he muttered, looking away. “Just something Greed said.” 

“Oh.” For the millionth time, she wished she could hear both sides of the conversation. She didn’t like feeling so left out. Not to mention, it’d only been a few days, but Ling already seemed… weirdly close to the demon. 

But then again, she supposed that might happen if you were sharing a headspace with someone. 

“I’ll call Grandfather,” she said. “We can go see him later.” 

* * *

Greed was beginning to feel sorry for Ling, and it pissed him the hell off. He wasn’t supposed to  _ care _ about him, not anymore than he cared for any other possession, that is, but this was  _ different.  _

Maybe it was the realization that he was missing memories, and Greed could relate to that, but whatever the reason, he was definitely getting too close to the situation. The last thing he needed was to start investing himself in Ling’s issues, on top of his own. 

A sister he couldn’t even remember. 

Greed scoffed. 

_ What? _ Ling asked. At least he’d finally figured out how to talk without actually speaking out loud when he was in control. 

_ Nothin,’ just your life got real fucked up real fast, _ Greed said. 

Ling sighed.  _ Yeah, I’m aware. _

They’d only made it a few blocks away from the antique shop, when Lan Fan tackled them to the ground, hissing, “There’s a bad feeling!” 

Not a second later, Lust’s claws tore through the air, just barely missing where they had been standing. 

_ Godammit, fucking again!? _ Greed snarled. 

Lust just couldn’t mind her own damn business. 


	13. Step Thirteen: sword fight your evil siblings with them

“You were right, sir,” Riza said as she pulled her weapon out of its holster. 

Over the earpiece, Olivier laughed. “Of course I am! No one can sense a demon better than me. Now make sure your idiot master actually manages to see if Greed’s intel checks out. I want a demon corpse at my feet within the next hour.” 

“Yes, sir.” Riza reached up to switch off the earpiece, then bounded down to the street below. 

It was time to kill a demon. 

* * *

Lan Fan hovered over Ling, staring up at the woman as she retracted her claws. 

Every in her instinct told her to get  _ away _ from this demon, but it was her  _ job _ to protect Ling. She couldn’t leave him! 

By now, she’d encountered a lot of demons. Greed, obviously. Hawkeye, Havoc, Alphonse, Rebecca, and several others that roamed around Amestris, and while most of them caused an uncomfortable burn in her chest when she got too close,  _ this _ demon’s presence almost made it feel like her insides were on  _ fire.  _

She slid the little knife that she swiped while no one was paying attention out of her shirt sleeve. Fighting through her panic, she threw Ling behind her and brandished the tiny weapon. 

Lust scoffed. “Really? That’s the smallest witch blade I’ve ever seen in my life.” 

Ling got back to his feet. “What the hell are you  _ doing!?” _

_ Not _ Ling’s voice. 

She grimaced, still not taking her eyes off the demon. “Protecting Ling.” 

Lust chuckled, and her claws shot towards Lan Fan, faster than she could even process. 

Greed jumped in front of her, just in time for the claws to dig through his chest, halting mere inches from Lan Fan. He hissed in pain. 

Lan Fan stumbled backwards a step, eyes growing wide.  _ “Ling!”  _

Greed scoffed. “I’m a bit less breakable than you, sweetheart.” 

“You really are something else,” Lust drawled as she shook her head. “Saving a  _ human’s _ life? At the expense of your own body?” She yanked her claws out of Greed. Blood splattered across the pavement. 

It didn’t take the wounds long to start closing, but they still looked  _ awful. _ Lan Fan couldn’t even begin to imagine how much they must hurt. 

Greed grinned, and Lan Fan swore his teeth were too sharp. “You get too focused on your targets.”

_ What?  _

“Hawkeye! I know you’re following us!” Greed shouted. 

Relief washed through Lan Fan. She’d forgotten that Amestris had familiars tailing Greed! 

Waves of heat rippled over the entire street, and Hawkeye leaped down from one of the rooftops. 

Lan Fan’s jaw  _ dropped. _

Gone were Hawkeye’s turtleneck and baggy pants. Thick, black plated armor covered her, contrasting from the smoldering fire that seemed to make up her very skin, burning so hot it was white. Her hair had turned to brilliantly golden flame, and her eyes glowed like mini suns. White antelope horns spiraled from her head, flickering with the same fire as her skin. She pulled back her bowstring, and a flaming arrow ignited, illuminating the huge, golden bow. “Lan Fan, Ling, Mustang and I will handle this. Please get out of the way.” 

“A fire demon  _ and _ an archer?” Greed muttered. 

“We can’t just leave you!” Lan Fan protested. 

Lust snarled and whirled to face Hawkeye, claws already extending. 

Hawkeye released the arrow. It connected with Lust’s chest, and the demon  _ shrieked  _ as a hole was burned through her. “I assure you, I can handle myself.” 

Greed grabbed the back of Lan Fan’s hoodie and drug her after him. “Trust me, she can handle her. ‘Specially if that damned fire witch is hiding somewhere around here.” 

* * *

_ What the hell was that? _ Ling demanded.  _ Why did she look like that?  _

Greed finally let go of Lan Fan, content that she wasn’t going to go running right back into Lust’s claws. He couldn’t believe she tried to fight her in the first place. 

_ Must be her true demon form. She’s a lot more powerful than I gave her credit for.  _ Was it possible she had been one of Wrath’s generals at one point? He may not remember much, but he knew his siblings rarely granted their underlings with more than one ability, so to be an archer  _ and _ a fire user, that demoness must really be something. 

_ True demon form? _ Ling asked.  _ You got something like that?  _

_ Mine’s not  _ nearly _ as flashy.  _

“Wait!” Lan Fan grabbed Greed’s shoulder. “I’ve got that feeling again. Just like the other demon.” 

Greed tensed, and realized she was right. It was harder to detect, what, with Lust and Hawkeye going at it, but definitely there. “Shit.” 

Obnoxious laughter echoed through the alley they had decided to cut through. “Long time, no see, eh, Greed?” 

“Godammit.” Greed settled into a fight stance, summoning his shield. He only managed to get it up to his shoulders, but that was still a little better than last time. He’d just have to make do, because no one was coming to save their asses this time. 

_ Oh, tell me it’s not  _ that _ one? _ Ling whined. 

Lan Fan tensed and pulled her little knife out again as Envy stepped out of the shadows. 

* * *

Riza danced around Lust, firing arrow after arrow into her. Of course, it did nothing, as her healing ability quickly took care of the wound, and according to Greed, since Riza wasn’t capable of using holy magic, it wasn’t actually causing any lasting damage. 

Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be long until Riza exhausted her powers, and Lust had her way with her. 

That’s how fights against the Seven always went. 

But now… now they had a way to kill them. 

_ Hawkeye, back!  _

Riza bounded backwards, just as a column of fire rained down from the sky. 

Holy fire. The complete opposite of her hell fire.  _ Mustang’s _ fire. 

Lust screamed as the fire burnt her to a crisp. 

Riza shuddered. Her own body recoiled from the fire. One touch from those flames, and she was dead. She didn’t have the Seven’s ability to regenerate, not from holy magic. 

The fire faded away, and Lust’s skin and muscles raced back over her body, erasing any damage that had been done. 

Riza grit her teeth. Of course, she hadn’t expected a single shot to finish her off, and as much as she trusted Mustang not to hit her, it was hard to shake her instinctual fear of that magic. 

She pulled her bowstring taught, firing off another arrow to keep Lust busy while Mustang readied for another attack. Holy magic took a lot out of the witch using it, which was why it was so rarely used. 

_ Don’t get too close, _ he warned through their telepathic connection. 

_ I’m aware, sir, _ she replied cooly.  _ Just end this quickly, don’t worry about hitting me.  _

Lust hissed and yanked Riza’s flaming arrow out of her abdomen, caring nothing for the horrific sizzling that came from the skin on her hand. “You goddamn traitor.” 

Riza scoffed, not even deigning to reply. Lust had been even more cruel than Wrath when it came to her demons. Riza had wanted to shoot the demoness full of holes ever since Rebecca told her what kind of master she’d been. 

Mustang’s fire blazed through the streets again. The stench of burning flesh wafted through the air as Lust was burned alive yet again. 

“Where’s the  _ damned  _ witch you let collar you!?” she screamed as the flames died away. Her claws shot towards Riza, but she easily bounded away, all while shooting another arrow, this time hitting Lust right between the eyes. 

_ She’s getting slower, _ Riza remarked. 

“Good,” Mustang said aloud, finally revealing himself, waltzing out of the alley he’d been hiding in. “And I’m right here, Lust.” 

Lust bared her teeth, and with a scream of rage, sent her claws towards Mustang. 

He merely raised an eyebrow, and snapped his fingers. More fire blazed to life around Lust. 

She  _ screamed.  _

Her body began to crumble as Mustang incinerated her yet again, and again, and again, not even giving her a chance to recover from the pervious attacks. 

Riza began to lower her bow. She could sense Lust’s presence begin to fade away. 

Was this really happening? After all these years, were they  _ finally _ going to kill one of the Seven? 

Lust’s chest heaved as the fire flickered away. Ragged breaths escaped her. “You damned witches. Damned traitors. You think you’ll  _ ever _ get rid of us!?” She raised her hand. 

Riza jerked back the bowstring again, but Lust’s claws didn’t extend. 

“You’ll burn, too,” she hissed.  Her hand began to crumble into dust and ashes. 

Mustang frowned and gave her a cool glare. 

Lust’s smug smile returned as the rest of her body disintegrated. “The end is coming.” 

Riza finally put her bow away and returned to her human form as Lust’s bones crumbled on the pavement. The dust swirled around a bright red stone. 

“Is that the core Greed told us about?” 

Riza hummed. “It must be.” She leaned down to pick it up, but as soon as her fingers brushed it, it crumbled too. 

_ What the hell?  _

* * *

Something in Ling’s mind clicked. 

_ Greed, give me control.  _

_ What!? _ he demanded as he just barely dodged a blow from Envy.  _ We’re kind of in the middle of something!  _

Lan Fan gasped as Envy kicked her against the wall, the brick cracking where she hit it. She fell to the ground, unconscious, and the little knife clattered out of her hold. 

Envy cackled and gave her body a vicious kick. “Stupid, useless human!” they taunted. “Can’t even use a damned witch blade like you’re supposed to.” 

_ Just trust me!  _ Ling shouted. 

Greed snarled, but said,  _ Fine, but you better not get us killed!  _

Control flooded back to Ling, and he dove over to pick up Lan Fan’s discarded witch blade. 

“Oh?” Envy cracked their knuckles. “You’re the human Greed's pathetic enough to share his body with, aren’t you?” 

“Name’s Ling Yao,” he said. “And I’d appreciate it if you left my best friend alone.” 

Envy’s feral grin managed to widen. “And just what the hell do you think you’re gonna do with that little toothpick?” They gestured to the knife. 

_ Yeah, what the hell are you doing, Ling?  _ Greed demanded. 

_ Come on, come on, come on.  _ It was all so clear as he twirled the blade between his fingers, letting it click against Greed’s shield, concentrating on molding it into the weapon he actually wanted. 

The blade began to glow, before lengthening into a sword. A sword that felt  _ so right _ in his hand. 

Envy’s eyes widened for a split second, but it wasn’t long before the cocky smile returned. 

Ling swung the sword, slashing it across Envy’s chest. 

They jumped back, hissing in pain, though the cut wasn’t that deep and already healing over. 

Ling shut his thoughts down, because it was easier if he didn’t think, easier to let his body move on its own, almost like muscle memory, but… not quite. 

He fought like the sword was an extension of his own arm, like he’d been training with such a weapon for  _ years.  _ Easily dodging Envy’s blows,  _ sensing _ how the demon was going to move next, all while slicing them to pieces. 

_Woah, woah, woah, where the fuck did you learn to fight like _this? Greed asked. _Why the fuck didn’t you fight Lust like this last time!? We got fucking shredded! _

Ling grit his teeth.  _ Shut up. _ He needed to concentrate. He couldn’t let… _whatever_ this was slip away. Not while Lan Fan was in danger. 

Envy shrieked as Ling cut clean through their leg, leaving them to collapse to the ground while the limb regenerated. 

“What the hell are you!?” Envy demanded. “No goddamn human could—” They cut themself off, and their eyes widened in either shock, or fear. Ling wasn’t sure. “Lust,” they gasped. 

_ Huh? What about that bitch? _ Greed asked. 

Envy forced themself up and sprinted down the alley, their leg just  _ barely _ finished regenerating, leaving Ling confused. “What the hell just happened?” 

_ I don’t know, _ Greed admitted.  _ Envy’s a bastard, but they don’t back out on fights like that.  _

But honestly, Ling didn’t really care. He was just glad the demon was gone. He let out a relieved breath and let the sword clatter to the ground, where it shrank back into the little knife. “Lan Fan?” He walked over and kneeled next to her. “Come on, Lan Fan. Don’t do this to me.” 

_ She’s fine, _ Greed assured him.  _ That bitch isn’t gonna let something like that take her out.  _

Relief coursed through Ling as he checked her pulse, finding it strong and steady.  _ You saved her life earlier, _ he realized.  _ You saved her from getting cut to pieces by Lust.  _

Greed huffed.  _ Yeah, well I doubt you’d ever shut the fuck up if something happened to her.  _

Ling smiled. 

_ What the fuck are you grinning about? _ Greed snapped. 

_ Oh, nothing. _ He hefted Lan Fan over his shoulder, not wanting to linger in the alley in case Envy came slinking back. 

_ Seriously, _ Greed said.  _ Where’d you learn all the fancy bladeworks? _

Before he could think too much about it, Ling picked the little knife back up.  _ I have no idea.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been excitedly waiting for Hawkeye's demon form for a while now, and yep, I loved writing it just as much as I thought I would


	14. Step Fourteen: help them uncover their weird double life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This semester is already kicking my ass guys I have no idea how tf statistics work

Not long after the incident, the Amestris witches found them. Winry set right to work healing Lan Fan, while Ed chewed Ling out. “How many times are you almost gonna fucking  _ die?” _ he demanded. 

Ling laughed and rubbed the back of his head. “Well you know, it’s not like I’m waltzing around asking for this.” 

Ed groaned and threw his head back. “Winry says we should microchip you. Ya know, like a dog.” 

Ling sighed and leaned against the alley wall. “Ah, think I’m gonna have to shoot that one down.” 

“I’ll do it in your sleep, Ling,” Winry said as she helped Lan Fan up. “Because evidently Hawkeye left you on your own to kill a demon.” 

_ No way, _ Greed said, and before Ling realized what was happening, Greed was back in control. “Did she really kill that bitch?” 

Ed and Winry exchanged a look. “Yeah, she and Mustang did,” Ed said. “That bastard is gonna be bragging about this for fucking  _ months.” _

Greed laughed, loud and obnoxious. “That’s awesome!” 

_ Wasn’t she your sister? _ Ling asked.  _ Like, I get that you hated her, but still.  _

_ Eh, it’s not like I remember a whole lot about her, except for the more recent stuff, and she was a fucking bitch, _ he said. 

Ling huffed, but didn’t argue. After all, evidently he’d  _ completely _ forgotten a sister, so what did he know about it? 

Ed rolled his eyes. “Where were you even running off to, anyways?” 

“To talk to my grandfather,” Lan Fan said as she stepped away from Winry’s hold, despite still being a tad wobbly. “About our missing memories.” 

“Ah…” Ed rubbed the back of his neck. “That.” 

“Yeah,  _ that,” _ Lan Fan said. 

“For the record,” Ed began. “I swear I had no goddamn idea you two were already so fucked up when I met you.” 

Winry nodded. “He really didn’t.” 

“Well yeah,” Greed said as he pushed off the alley wall. “Runt’s head is full of hot air and nothing else.” 

Ed bared his teeth. “The  _ fuck _ did you just call me?” 

Greed grinned. “Case in point.” 

_ Don’t antagonize him, then he’s just gonna complain to  _ me _ later, _ Ling requested. 

_ What? I gotta have fun somehow, _ he argued. 

Ling rolled his eyes. 

“Whatever,” Lan Fan said. “We need to go.” 

“Sure, sure, have fun,” Ed said. “But you know why Lust tracked you back down again?” 

Greed leaned down to sneer at him. “Because your warding was shit?” 

Ed smirked and dug the pieces of cloth he’d drawn the warding symbols on out of his pocket. “Because you dumbasses left without my wardings. Ling, if you don’t remember to take your bag everywhere, I’ll just sew them to your ugly fucking jackets.” 

_ Shit. _ Ling hadn’t even  _ thought _ about the warding magic Ed had given him that morning when they left. 

Greed hissed, but snatched the pieces of cloth from Ed. 

“Have fun learning about your lost memories!” Winry called as they walked in opposite directions. 

* * *

_ Ask Lan Fan if she’s okay, _ Ling requested. 

“Hey, Lan Fan.” Greed reached out like he was going to grab her shoulder, but he seemed to think better of it and stopped. 

She glanced at him. “What?” 

“Kid wants to know if you’re alright,” he said. 

_ I’m not a kid,  _ Ling reminded him. Though he was a little shocked that Greed had done what he asked, and with no argument, or even a snarky comment. 

She sighed. “I’m fine. Winry fixed whatever was hurt.” She rubbed her shoulder. “But I shouldn’t have been knocked out that easily.” 

Greed scoffed. 

_ Tell her she did fine, and that it’s not her fault, _ Ling said. 

_ You wanna just take over?  _ Greed snapped. 

_ If you want, but I don’t think that’s asking too much of you.  _

“Not your fault,” Greed muttered. “Envy’s a tough bastard, takes a lot of skill to take them on and walk away.” 

A small smile tugged at the corner of Lan Fan’s lip. “Thanks, Ling.” 

Greed raised an eyebrow. 

“Come on,” she said. “Don't even pretend that was all you.” 

He chuckled. “Fair enough.” 

* * *

“So you’ve been possessed by a demon,” Fu said as soon as they opened the door to his and Lan Fan’s place. “As many ways as I envisioned this scheme going up in flames, I admit, that’s not one I anticipated.” 

“Uh…” Ling stared at Lan Fan’s grandfather with wide eyes. “What?” 

“You  _ knew!?” _ Lan Fan demanded as she shoved Ling aside. 

_ Oh yeah, he’s definitely a witch, _ Greed said. 

They had decided to give Ling control of the body when they met with Fu, so they could ease him into the situation, but evidently, that wasn’t needed. 

Fu motioned for them to come inside. “I imagine you have questions.” 

“You could say that…” Ling said, as he began to wonder if he would ever remember what it felt like to not be massively confused by something. 

“Like, for instance,” Lan Fan began. “And please excuse my foul language, where the  _ fuck _ did our memories go?” 

“Lan Fan,” Fu scolded. 

“What?” she asked. “Maybe I forgot all the times you told me not to cuss.” 

Greed and Ling snickered. 

Fu sighed as he sat down at the kitchen table. “How about we start with you telling me how much you actually  _ do _ know, as well as how  _ this,” _ he gestured to Ling, “actually happened.”    


“So, you know Ling’s weird new roommate that we joked might be in a cult?” Lan Fan asked. 

Fu nodded. 

“Yeah, turns out we weren’t that far off,” she said. 

“He’s a witch from Amestris,” Ling said. “Since I’m assuming you know who they are. And evidently, because I was around him so much, I smelled like him and these demons grabbed me one night, and next thing I know, I’ve got Greed in my head.” 

Fu nearly jumped out of his seat.  _ “Greed?” _

Control switched, and damn, that was becoming  _ very _ natural, and Greed waved. “Hey.” 

Fu took a deep breath, and forced himself to relax. “I assume you’re not hostile towards my granddaughter or our charge.” 

“Nah.” Greed placed his hands behind his head and interlocked his fingers. “Made a deal with Amestris to keep the kid alive, and I gotta admit, the girl’s growing on me, mostly ‘cause she tried to stab Envy.” 

Fu shook his head. “I really shouldn’t have left you two on your own. Even trying to live as normal people you find the worst types of trouble.” 

_ I’m beginning to think that none of this was an accident, _ Ling muttered. 

_ Yeah, it’s not sounding like it, _ Greed said. 

“Our memories?” Lan Fan pressed as she sat down next to her grandfather. 

“Actually, it was your idea to completely get rid of them,” he said. “Initially, I was against it, but you insisted.” 

Lan Fan’s eyes widened.  _ “What?”  _

Fu nodded. “You were convinced you would never be able to completely blend in with regular people with them, so you got rid of any knowledge of the occult, and replaced them with the memories you have now.” 

“Why?” she asked. “Why would we  _ do _ something like that?” 

_ Bets on the table, _ Greed said.  _ You were so annoying that all of Xing collectively decided to just get rid of you.  _

_ Hilarious, _ Ling drawled, but he couldn’t completely keep the laughter out of his voice. 

“To keep Ling safe,” Fu said. “People kept trying to assassinate him, and the last group that tried got too close for comfort, so we decided to go into hiding.” 

“Assassination!?” Lan Fan shrieked. 

_ Oh my god, you were kind of right!  _ Ling exclaimed. 

Greed doubled over, howling with laughter. 

Fu and Lan Fan jumped. 

Greed waved them off. “Oh continue, tell me why so many people wanted the kid dead.” 

Fu cleared his throat. “Well, Ling was likely going to end up in a high position of power in Xing, and not very many people liked that. He’d spent his whole life in that environment, training for a position like that, and was a very powerful witch. It was only natural to have enemies, we just never expected so many.” 

_ My whole life? I spent my whole life doing things like that, and I don’t…. I didn’t even know…  _ A whole lifetime of being a witch, just gone. His whole lifetime of being normal, was  _ fake.  _

The last of Greed’s snickering died away.  _ Ling? _

_ None of it’s real…  _

“We’re going for a walk,” Greed said as he stepped out of the little kitchen. 

“Wait, Greed—” Lan Fan began to protest. 

He waved, and left. 

* * *

Lan Fan stood up and prepared to chase after the demon, but Fu gently grabbed her wrist. “Let him go. If the demon doesn’t want to listen, we can’t make him.” 

She shook her head. “I don’t think Greed’s the one that…” She sighed, but sat back down. “He gets along a lot better with Ling than they pretend to.” 

“Ah.” Her grandfather didn’t look particularly  _ surprised _ by it, but he did seem a little worried. “And you believe this demon is sincere about not harming you or Ling?” 

She frowned. She didn’t like Greed, obviously, and wondered if she ever  _ would, _ but despite that, she  _ did _ trust that he wasn’t going to hurt Ling in anyway. “No, I don’t think he will.” 


	15. Step Fifteen: actually talk about your feelings for the first time (sort of)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed my major for the third time oh my god I cannot keep doing this hopefully this one works out I just hate everything. Anyways, I just finished up one of my other multi-chaptered fics, so hopefully I'll be updating this one a little more often. Esp since I told myself I wasn't allowed to start any new ones until I at least finished this one

Somehow, they ended up on the roof of the building. Greed sat on the ledge, crossing his legs, and being… weirdly silent. Why wasn’t he saying anything? No complaining about how this wasn’t his problem? No snide comments about the breakdown Ling  _ knew _ he was on the verge of? 

“They killed my chimeras.” 

_ Huh? _ Ling fought through the confusion and panic to focus on what Greed had just said. 

Greed sighed, and leaned back, resting his weight on the palms of his hands. “My chimeras, my demons, I guess. Wrath killed them.” 

Flashes of shattered memory ran through Ling’s mind. All those broken bodies, the blood everywhere.  _ Oh… They were your friends, weren’t they?  _

Greed shook his head. “No, I don’t have friends.” 

Ling knew that wasn’t true, but he didn’t push it. Maybe he would later, but just… not right now.  _ Why? _

He shrugged. “Don’t know. Think they were pissed off that I wasn’t working with them. My… They wanted me to work with them again, just before they killed me, basically… Then they stuck me in you. I just barely clung onto what memories I have.” 

Ling frowned.  _ Why don’t you work with them? I mean, they’re your family, aren’t they? Why did you ever turn on them in the first place?  _

He shook his head. “No fucking idea. Got some guesses, but I don’t know for sure. But now I hate them because Wrath  _ killed my chimeras.”  _

Ling knew Greed wasn’t telling him this because he wanted Ling to try and make him feel better. Actually, it seemed to be the _opposite._ _Greed_ was trying to comfort _Ling,_ in his own extremely weird way. _Well, Amestris already killed Lust, they’ll probably get to Wrath sooner or later. _

“I want to kill him myself.” He sighed, before laughing. “Kinda fucked up. At least I’ve still got  _ some _ memories.” 

_ Yeah… _ And from the way it  _ sounded, _ the memories Ling was missing didn’t sound very pleasant. Assassination attempts, witch politics, witch stuff in  _ general.  _

“That old man’s probably got some way for you to get them back,” Greed said. “Should probably listen to him.” 

Ling didn’t know how to say that he wasn’t sure he  _ wanted  _ those memories back, not when he probably had the option, and Greed didn’t. Not when Greed so obviously  _ did _ want his memories back. 

Why  _ would _ Ling  want them back? They weren’t good memories, he didn’t even want to think about living a life like that. And… And what if those memories completely changed him? What if he wasn’t himself anymore if he got them back? 

“You don’t want them,” Greed said. 

_ I-I never said that, _ he said hastily.  _ I just— _

Greed scoffed. “Don’t lie to me. For one thing, there’s no damn point, we’re sharing fucking headspace. And if I don’t lie, the least you could do is return the favor.” 

Ling sighed.  _ Well why the hell would I want them back? Sounds like they sucked, and I like my life now! I don’t want it to change!  _

“You like living in that shitty apartment, going to classes you hate, and getting possessed by demons?” He snorted. “You’re an interesting guy, Ling.” 

_ Hey! I  _ like _ my ‘shitty’ apartment! I don’t actually hate my classes. And I don’t know, maybe I could have gone without getting  _ you _ stuck in my head, but I  _ am _ glad I met Ed and Winry.  _

“Hey, hey, no need to get pissy,” Greed said as he sat up straight and turned his palms up. “As long as you know what you want, even if I do think it could be a little more ambitious. Sounds like you had all of Xing on a platter.” 

_ I don’t know anything about Xing. _

“Eh, whatever. Do whatever you want,” he said. 

_ Well what about you? _ Ling asked.  _ What do  _ you _ want to do? I mean, after you kill Wrath, I guess.  _

“Told you, I’m gonna rule the world. I want  _ everything,” _ he said. 

Ling had to bite back another sigh. He was really still on about that, wasn’t he?  _ Alright then. But you’re gonna let me finish school first. After that, I guess we can take over the world.  _

“Seriously?” 

_ Hey, do you know how much debt I went into for this degree?  _ Yes, _ I’m gonna finish it, and  _ you’re _ not going to stop me.  _

Greed snickered. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, kid.” 

_ Again, I’m twenty-one. Not a kid. _

“That’s a kid.” 

_ I mean, if we’re going based on life experience, you’re only, what, a few months old? Tops?  _

“Yeah, and you’re only a year old. Fuck off,” he said. 

Ling laughed.  _ Yeah, fair enough, I guess.  _

* * *

“Are you sure it’s safe for him to be out alone like that?” Fu asked. 

Lan Fan tapped her fingers on the table, trying to decide if she should give an honest answer or not. “He’ll be fine,” she finally decided on. He had Ed’s warding, and there was probably at least one Amestris familiar following him around, not to mention the rest of the Seven were probably reeling from the death of Lust, so it was probably true. 

True enough to ease her grandfather’s worries, at the least. 

“I don’t think he’s coming back though,” she said. Chances were, Ling and Greed were off traversing through the city. Ling liked to go out for walks when he got worked up or needed a break, and she thought that Greed might be the same way, based on his personality and the way he reacted to things. God knew where they had gone, and god knew if they were actually going to come back. Her best chance would probably be to go back to Ling and Ed’s, and wait for them to turn up eventually. 

“Well, you are the one who was assigned to him,” he said. “I help where I can, but not as much as I used to. So it’s up to you to decide what you want to do now.” 

She frowned. “Is it even possible for us to get our memories back?” 

He nodded. “Yes. Though you would need to return to Xing for such a thing. It’s complicated magic, I can’t perform the spell by myself.” 

She shook her head. “We can’t do that.” Not if they really wanted Ling dead there. Never mind Greed, and their deals with Amestris. “I think it’s better if we stay like this. Thankfully, some of our… combat training?” she asked. 

Fu nodded. “Yes, you both had combat experience and training. Quite a lot of it, actually.” 

“Right…” This was so much to take in. “Some of it seems to have stuck with us, thankfully. We’ll have Amestris help us work with that… I don’t know. I think that’s the best thing for us, for  _ Ling, _ right now.” 

Fu didn’t exactly look…  _ pleased _ with her answer, but he didn’t seem surprised, and he didn’t try to change her mind. “If you’re sure that’s what you want to be doing, if you think it’s best, then I trust your judgement. You’re closer to the situation than I am, for the moment. Though I would like to be kept in the loop.” 

She nodded, expecting nothing less. “I do… have one question though.” 

“Hm?”

Lan Fan took a deep breath, not sure if she was ready for the answer or not. “How much of us actually changed? I mean, altered memories like that would  _ have _ to change us, wouldn’t they? Did we have different ambitions? Different personalities? Hell, what about our families and all that? How different is it?” 

He offered her a reassuring smile and laid his hand on her shoulder. “Well, I can promise you that your personalities didn’t change in the slightest. And  _ your _ ambition has always been to keep Ling safe, and it doesn’t appear that has changed at all either. Ling…” He trailed off for a moment. “Ling just wanted to help people in general, make Xing a better place. Well, he doesn’t remember Xing, so I doubt that’s what he wants now, but I don’t think he would ever drift away from trying to help others.” 

“Heh.” Lan Fan stared down at the table. That was definitely true. Sure, he  _ acted _ like he didn’t want anything to do with Amestris, that Greed was dragging him into helping them kicking and screaming, but she knew he would never leave them if he knew he could help them. Ed especially. “Well, that’s a relief, I guess.” 

“As for your families,” he continued. “When we translated your memories into more normal ones, we tried to parallel it the best we could, even if some things got lost.” 

“Like Ling’s sister?” she asked. 

He nodded. “So obviously, there are some differences and discrepancies, but we did the best we could to keep them as similar as possible. Although, now that you’re aware of this, you’ll probably begin to notice more gaps and inconsistencies with them.” 

“Alright, I’ll keep that in mind,” she said as she pushed back from the table and got out of her chair. “I should probably head back that way. They’ll turn up eventually. I’ll fill him in.” 

“Take good care of him, Lan Fan,” he said. 

“Of course.” 

* * *

“Mei told Al everything and he told me,” Ed said as soon as Ling opened the door. “I don’t care what the fuck you do, but you’re not running off to Xing and leaving me here alone without at least a little warning.” 

“Couldn’t Al just move in with you?” Ling asked. 

Ed’s eyebrows shot up. “So you  _ are _ going back to Xing?” 

“What? No!” He shook his head. “I just…” He sighed. That was just Ed’s flimsy excuse for getting him to stay, rather than just admitting he liked having Ling around. “It’s a lot to take in.” 

_ Have you really taken it in though?  _ Greed asked. 

_ Listen, I’ll get around to it. It’s an issue for another time, _ he replied. 

“Mm, yeah, I could see that.” Ed stepped back, actually letting Ling into the apartment. “I still can’t believe we got thrown together in a crazy coincidence like this. I mean, I just thought you were a normal guy.” He frowned. “Well, you’re weird as hell. But regarding magical terms, normal.” 

“Yeah, you and me both.” He walked over and fell onto the couch. He really wished he could sleep. He didn’t think not sleeping anymore was really going to be an issue, but he forgot about how nice it could be when there was something you just really didn’t want to think about for a while. 

_ Give me control. You could probably sleep, then, _ Greed said. 

Ling hummed. He’d wondered if that would work. Maybe he would try it later. 

“Well…” Ed cleared his throat. “I would… I  _ am _ glad we met, and I would…” He glanced away. “Miss you, if you decided to leave.” 

Ling sat up, grinning. “Oh yeah?” 

“Shut up! I’m not saying it again!” 


	16. Step Sixteen: learn to get better at teamwork

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alive! Also all my classes got moved online cuz the PlagueTM decided it was time to activate. Oh well. Maybe I'll have more time to write again

Thankfully for Ling’s sanity, as well as his grades, the first few days with Greed were a hell of a lot more eventful than the ones that followed. No more demon attacks (likely due to the death of Lust), Ling and Lan Fan didn’t discover any more life altering secrets, Ed hadn’t even done anything super crazy for a while (well, that Ling knew of, anyways). 

Of course, there were changes to routine. There had to be. Even if Ling  wanted to, there was no way to just  _ go back to normal, _ and at this point, he wasn’t even sure _if_ that was what he wanted. 

He still went to school, maintained his grades, kept up with his homework, but that was pretty much the only thing that didn’t change. He ended up quitting his job, partly because he no longer had the time for it, but mostly because Amestris offered to pay his bills in return for his struggles, and well… who was he to turn something like that down? 

With school being his only  _ real _ obligation at the moment, Ling, Greed, and Lan Fan spent the vast majority of their free time training at Amestris with various witches and demons. In Lan Fan and Ling’s case, learning how to better use witch weapons, as well as their powers, and different spells. It came easily to them, but Ling supposed that made sense, considering that they technically already  _ knew _ all of this, somewhere in their heads. 

As for Greed… he didn’t necessarily get any  _ less _ annoying, but after doing all this for about two months, Ling had gotten used to him, and yeah, maybe he was starting to like him. It was hard  _ not _ to get attached to someone when you spent literally every second of every day together. Besides, by this point, Greed could take over their body any time he pleased. Not that Ling really minded too much. The demon respected their deal to leave him alone during school and school related activities, and Ling trusted that Greed wasn’t going to do anything god awful. They passed control back and forth with an ease that was unsettling to some. 

Greed’s powers were returning. Slowly, but steadily. Now, he could get his shield to cover most of his body, not to mention call on it reliably. His ability to sense other demons still wasn’t as good as most of the other demons in Amestris, but it was definitely a lot better than it had been. At the least, he could feel out for whatever familiar happened to be tailing them for the day. A few times, Ed had attempted to get Greed to use a demon weapon, but he always refused. He said he didn’t  _ need _ one. Especially not when Ling always had witch weapons on him now. 

Perhaps the most fun part of working with Amestris, was pretending that Greed was Lan Fan’s familiar. That decision had been made rather spur of the moment, when one of the higher ups of the organization had come for an inspection. There had been a bit of a panic, before Lan Fan had stepped up and claimed Greed as her familiar. Ling had the sneaking suspicion she had done it just so she could boss the demon around for a few hours whenever someone came to check up on the branch. 

Speaking of branch happenings, Mustang and Armstrong were on the hunt for the remaining Seven, but had found no new leads on any of them. It was like they’d vanished, gone completely underground. 

Not that Ling could blame the demons. If he’d gone his whole,  _ extremely _ long life without anyone being able to kill him, and then someone managed to kill his sister, who was just as unkillable as him, he’d be a  _ little _ concerned too. 

Speaking of sisters, Mei Chang came around every now and then, mostly to see Alphonse, since Ling didn’t exactly remember her, but she was always… well, not  _ nice _ to him, but he could tell that she was worried and cared about him. He’d been meaning to ask her how she’d gotten involved with the Elrics and Amestris in the first place, given her loyalty to Xing, but he always forgot to ask, and by the time he remembered, she was usually gone. 

All in all, life was… slightly less hectic, and Ling was sliding back into a comfortable, albeit wild, routine again. 

So of course it made sense that everything would be going to hell again soon. 

* * *

“Hey Ling, Lan Fan!” Ed called as he walked into Amestris’s little library. “What are you do—”

Sheska leaned around a shelf. “Ed!  _ Shh! _ This is a  _ library.” _

Ed rolled his eyes, but repeated himself in a quieter voice. “What are you doing? And Ling, what’s for dinner tonight?” 

Greed huffed. “Not Ling, half pint. God, can’t you figure this out by now?” 

Ed flipped him off, before narrowing his eyes. “What the hell are you doing here then? Since when do you  _ read?” _

“Oh, I read.” He gestured with the old spell book in his hand. “Just not this shit. Lan Fan dragged me here though, and I got bored.” 

Lan Fan glanced up from her own book.  _ “Dragged you _ here.” She scoffed. “You  _ followed _ me. You’re like a cat. You just can’t admit when you want attention, gotta follow someone around, while pretending you're not interested.” 

“Fuck off.” 

Ling snickered.  _ Want me to take over so you don’t have to deal with the hole you just dug for yourself?  _

_ Do whatever you want, _ Greed said.  _ You’re the one who’s been lazy all day.  _

_ Hey, that test earlier drained me.  _

_ It wasn’t that hard.  _

_ Fuck off!  _ You _ weren’t the one taking it!  _

“Hey.” Ed snapped his fingers in Greed’s face. “Greed, Ling, whoever the fuck you are, I’m  _ talking  _ to you.” 

“It’s Ling now!” Ling said as he switched to having control. “And I don’t know about dinner. Takeout?” 

“You eat too much takeout,” Lan Fan scolded. 

“We don’t!” Ling protested, even though he knew it was true. Ever since he’d gotten possessed, he’d kind of stopped cooking, claiming he was too busy, and Ed sure as hell wasn’t about to start doing it. And even if he did, Ling would  _ never _ trust his cooking enough to eat something that Ed made. 

“Maybe I’ll ask Winry to come cook,” Ed mused. 

_ Oh yeah, that woman can cook! _ Greed exclaimed. 

“Don’t make Winry come cook,” Lan Fan said, finally putting down her book for good, realizing she wasn’t going to get any good reading done with Ed here. “I’m sure she has better things to do. And I’m also sure that between the two—three,” she corrected herself. “Between the three of you, I’m sure you can figure out how to boil some pasta or something. It’s not exactly hard.” 

“Greed said he would cook,” Ling said. 

_ I did not!  _ he argued. 

Ed raised an eyebrow. 

“I decided Greed is going to cook,” Ling amended. 

Lan Fan snorted. “Oh? Maybe I’ll come for dinner, too.” 

Greed shoved Ling out of control. “No! I’ve got better things to do than cook for—” 

Hawkeye walked into the library. “Greed, Ed, I’ve been looking for you. Come on. We just sensed one of the Seven. We’re going out to hunt them down.” 

* * *

Lan Fan didn’t care if she wasn’t  _ technically _ invited on the demon hunt or not, she was coming too. Like hell she was letting Ling go try and hunt down a demon with only Greed to help him. They were both idiots, somehow only managing to make the other worse the longer they were together. She hardly trusted them to do  _ anything _ without her, let alone something like  _ this.  _

“Do we know which one it is?” Greed asked as they grabbed weapons. As  _ all _ of Amestris grabbed weapons. It seemed like the entire organization was going out to hunt demons. 

Hawkeye shook her head. “No. Which is why everyone is coming. We can’t pin down an exact location either. We’re going out in pairs, witch and familiar. Lan Fan is with you.” 

Lan Fan gripped her witch blade tighter. 

“Our luck, it’s gonna be fucking Pride,” Greed muttered. 

Hawkeye grimaced. “Let’s hope not.” Then she turned to Lan Fan. “Don’t do anything too rash, okay? Even if you think you can handle it. Another team is bound to be nearby, so if you need to, make sure you meet up with them, okay?” 

She nodded. “Of course.” She knew better than to bite off more than she could chew. 

Greed grabbed an extra witch blade, probably for Ling’s sake, then said, “Come on, Lan Fan, let’s get going.” His voice lacked its usual annoying cockiness. It… made her uneasy. 

“Right,” she replied. 

As they left the little antique shop, she said, “Don’t let Ling get hurt.” 

He offered her a smirk, though it seemed a little forced. “You know I won’t.” 

* * *

“Sir, should I shift to my true form?” Riza asked. She was not confident enough in her abilities to think she could take on one of the Seven without the power that gave her. Her more human visage limited her. 

And Envy knew it. It was why they were bounding around, taking hits just because they could. They were  _ toying _ with her. 

“No!” Mustang exclaimed. “It’s everything we can do to keep this masked from civilians as it is. This isn’t like last time when it was planned. We can’t mask a bunch of familiars in their true forms!” 

Riza took a deep breath, knowing he was right, but still being irritated by it. She took another shot, the gunshot ringing in her ears. She heard Mustang snap, and a blaze of fire accompanied the bullet. 

Envy screamed as the attacks connected, but it was going to make more than one shot of holy fire to kill them. 

Perhaps Riza wouldn’t be so nervous if they were alone out here, but she could sense several different conflicts across the city. Of course, they had no choice but to counteract the Seven, but when she and the rest of the familiars had sensed them, she had never expected there to be more than one out in the city. 

_ Three. _ Three of them were here. Not just Envy, but two others. 

And if the shivers running up and down her spine were any indication, her old master was one of them. She’d bet her weapon that Wrath was here. 

She grit her teeth as she fired off another shot. She could only hope they actually managed to kill another one of the Seven. 

But not all witches could use holy magic like Mustang could. 

Envy cackled as they managed to land a hit on her, snapping her head back as their fist collided with her jaw. 

Riza stumbled backwards, managing to fire off another shot while she did so. 

This wouldn’t be an easy fight. 

* * *

Steel clicked against carbon, and Greed cursed their luck. He’d been so busy hoping they didn’t run into Pride, that he’d forgotten what a bastard Wrath could be. 

Those damned  _ swords.  _

“Greed, you worthless traitor,” Wrath said, his voice  _ far _ too calm for the situation. “I warned them against bringing you back.” 

Greed hissed, pulling back from the stalemate just in time for Lan Fan to take a slash at Wrath with her witch blade. The hit didn’t land, but it was enough of a distraction for Greed to jump back. 

_ Give me control, _ Ling requested.  _ It’ll be easier to fight him with a blade, and I’m better at that than you.  _

“No,” Greed muttered. 

_ No!? _ Ling demanded.  _ What the hell!? Lan Fan needs help!  _

Greed snarled, and curled his fingers into fists, feeling his claws scrape against the carbon that wound up his arms. “I can handle him on my own.” He  _ had _ to handle Wrath on his own. If he couldn’t… It just meant failing,  _ again. _ Failing to keep his possessions safe! 

Wrath kicked Lan Fan away, and she yelped as she collided with a wall. 

For the first time in a while, Ling began to fight against Greed’s control, but Greed wasn’t going to let him win. Not at a time like this. “Stop it,” he hissed. “Now’s not the time, dumbass!” 

Wrath turned his attention back to Greed. “Siding with humans and witches. And I thought you couldn’t sink any lower than you already had.” He rushed forward, sword raised for another attack. 

Greed raised his arms, intending to block the blow. 

_ Blood flying through the air. The feeling of swords in his chest. Limbs and heads and various other body parts strewn about the dark tunnel.  _

Greed’s arms fell uselessly to his side, as the rest of his body locked up, his eyes widening as Wrath’s sword pierced his chest.

He didn’t even register the pain until he heard Ling’s scream. 

_ “Ling!”  _ Lan Fan shouted. 

Greed gasped, and fell to his knees as Wrath pulled the blade out, slinging blood across the sidewalk.  _ Get up,  _ Greed told himself.  _ What the fuck are you doing? Get  _ up!  _ It’s just a stab wound! This is  _ nothing! 

His hands shook. All he could see were his chimeras, feel Wrath’s blades tearing him up beyond repair. 

_ Greed, you have to snap out of it! _ Ling shouted.  _ Please! Give me control!  _ Please! 

Wrath’s blade swung down. 

It clanged against metal, sparks flying as Lan Fan jumped between them. “Get off your ass, Greed,” she snarled. “Or at least let Ling take over.” 

Wrath raised his eyebrows, shocked by Lan Fan’s interference, but then he grimaced. 

“Lan Fan,” Greed gasped. “Get back.” He  _ knew _ what that look in Wrath’s eyes meant. “Get _ back!” _

She grunted against Wrath’s strength. “I have to protect you and Ling. I’m not backing down!” 

“Foolish girl,” Wrath muttered. He pulled his sword back. 

Greed and Ling screamed. _"LAN FAN!"_

Blood splattered across the ground. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, this started out kinda fun and cracky, but I just couldn't keep the angst out of it. Why am I like this
> 
> Don't worry. The fun and crack will return eventually


	17. Step Seventeen: start to learn decent communication skills

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally have more time to write again! It's awesome!

Lan Fan’s blood splattering across his face was all the shock that Ling needed to finally wrestle control away from Greed. 

Wrath’s sword sliced into Lan Fan’s shoulder, cutting so deep the bone cracked and protruded from the mutilated skin and muscle. Ling doubted he would  _ ever _ be able to forget the way her anguished scream echoed. 

Ling gripped his own blade, slashing it upwards, just  _ barely _ scraping it against Wrath’s jaw. 

Lan Fan fell backwards against him, her free hand pressed against the  _ horrific _ wound. Blood slid down between her fingers, and she grit her teeth so hard Ling could hear them grinding together. 

Wrath touched his fingers to the tiny cut on his jaw. “Huh, you actually managed to land a hit.” 

Ling grabbed Lan Fan, threw her over his shoulder, and  _ bolted. _

* * *

The world spun. Flecks of bright red flashed across her vision. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. She felt the pain in her shoulder and upper arm, but nothing below that. She grit her teeth, and tried to turn her head, attempting to see the worst of the damage. She couldn’t help but gasp when she saw the bone jutting out, slicked with blood and gore. 

“He’s not going to just let us go,” she managed to say. 

“Huh?” Ling adjusted his hold on her, tightening his arm around her waist. “What are you talking about?” 

“A wound like this can’t be fixed,” she said. “Not completely.” 

Ling’s nails, his  _ claws, _ dug into her side. “What are you—Lan Fan, don’t do something stupid!” 

She slid her spare blade out of her sleeve. The bone was already broken, so as long as she didn’t pass out, this would be relatively easy. 

She dug the blade into her arm. 

* * *

Winry did her best to keep her hands from shaking as she treated the Amestris witches that stumbled in. Ed would be  _ fine. _ He’d been doing this for years now, and had never come back with worse than busted automail and maybe a stab wound. Everyone was going to end up fine in the long run, no one was going to—

“Winry, come with me!” Sheshka exclaimed as she threw open the door to the office she was in. She hadn’t set up shop in the infirmary yet, no one had come in with a severe enough injury that it couldn’t just be treated with magic and simple first aid. 

“What?” She tightened the bandage on the witch’s arm. “I’m busy!” 

Sheshka shook her head. “It’s important! I know you don’t work for us, but you’re one of the best healers around! She’s going to bleed out or die from shock if we don’t do something quick!” 

_ She. _ Different witches ran through Winry’s head as she stood up and wiped her bloody hands on her pants. “A stab wound?” she asked. That made the most sense. “Who is it?” 

Sheshka shook her head, and Winry finally noticed how  _ spooked _ the familiar looked. She was pale as a sheet. 

“Sheshka?” Winry asked. 

She just motioned for Winry to hurry up. “Not a stab wound,” she finally said as they rushed down the hall. “She’s—” Sheshka shuddered. “Her arm’s been cut off.” 

Winry swallowed thickly. Of course, she had experience with amputated limbs, in  _ both _ of her jobs, but from the way Sheshka was reacting, it must be pretty bad. Even if she  _ was _ just a knowledge demon, she’d been around Amestris long enough to see some messed up things. “Okay, as long as we still have the limb I should be able to—” 

Sheshka shook her. “We don’t—” 

Winry heard the screaming before Sheshka even opened the door to the infirmary, and she  _ recognized _ that voice. 

_ Lan Fan.  _

Winry shoved past Sheshka and threw the door open, and the scene that greeted her was something out of a nightmare. Lan Fan writhed on the bed, as Havoc did his best to hold her down and stop the brunt of the bleeding. Ling was pressed against the wall, covered in blood and his eyes wide with horror. 

“Thank Christ,” Havoc said as soon as he noticed Winry. “I have no idea what I’m doing.” 

Winry rushed forward and shoved him aside to take over, doing her best not to wince at the mutilated mess where Lan Fan’s arm had once been. “Give her something to bite down on,” she told Havoc. “What happened?” She pressed the blood-soaked jacket harder against the wound, before looking around. “Where the hell is her arm!?” 

Havoc shrugged hopelessly before shoving a rag into Lan Fan’s mouth. She bit down on it, doing her best not to scream again. “It was gone when I found them wandering around like this,” Havoc said. “Obviously she can’t tell me—” he gestured to Ling “—and  _ he’s _ having some kind of breakdown.” 

_ “Dammit!” _ Winry bit out. If she’d still had the limb, she might have been able to reattach it with magic, but without it… “Sheshka!”

The librarian yelped and darted over. “Y-Yes?” 

“I’m going to need your help.” She glanced towards Havoc. “Since I assume you’re itching to get back out there.” 

He nodded. “Hawkeye and Mustang could use the backup.” 

“Then go,” she said. “We’ll handle this. Sheshka, put her to sleep.” There was no reason for Lan Fan to be conscious right now. “Ling!” 

He didn’t answer, just stared straight ahead at nothing. 

“Hey, Ling!” she shouted, before groaning when he still didn’t answer. “Havoc, get him out of here before you go. Him being here isn’t going to help anyone.” 

Havoc grabbed Ling’s shoulder and began to tug him after him, and that was enough to  _ finally _ snap Ling out of whatever was wrong with him. “But I—” he started to protest. 

“Just get out!” Winry snapped as she began to pick away the pieces of shattered bone embedded in the muscle. “Let me handle this!” 

Lan Fan finally went limp and quit squirming as Sheshka knocked her out with magic. 

“She’s right,” Havoc said. “You don’t need to be here.” He dragged Ling away. 

Winry let out a breath after they were gone, finally able to completely concentrate on helping Lan Fan. 

* * *

Havoc sat him down outside the door. “You can wait here, but don’t go back in until Winry gets you. And don’t even think about going back out to fight. You’ll just get yourself, or someone else, hurt.” And he left. 

Ling pressed his head against his knees, desperately trying to ignore the smell of blood. “Why didn’t you give me control?” he whispered. “I’m better with a sword… I could have…” He could have what? Would he  _ really _ have been able to do any better against Wrath in the long run? Could he really keep Lan Fan safe? “Why didn’t you?” 

_ You wouldn’t have been able to do anything, _ Greed finally said. 

“You don’t know that!” Ling snapped. “At least I wouldn’t have completely frozen up like that!” He was still covered in Lan Fan’s blood, could feel it stuck to his skin. It was  _ awful. _ “Lan Fan might not have…” 

Greed growled.  _ She didn’t need to do that. We could regenerate, she  _ can’t. _ _

“I know that!” Ling clenched his fists. “But she… You weren’t moving! It’s in her nature to protect me! And Wrath already basically killed you once! I don’t blame her for doing what she did! You… You could have—Why are you so damn  _ stubborn?” _

Greed didn’t answer, and Ling took back every time he complained about Greed being so talkative. Silence was so much worse. 

Ling sighed. “I’m not blaming you for freezing up like that.” And he didn’t. How could he? “But you could have let me take over. Why didn’t you?” 

_ Why should I have? _ he snapped. 

“Greed…” 

_ That was my kill. _ Mine. _ He killed my chimeras, so I get to kill him.  _

“Oh, so you were being selfish,” Ling said. He couldn’t say he was surprised. Maybe he’d started to forget recently, but Greed was a  _ demon, _ and a member of the worst of the worst demon group. It was only a matter of time before someone Ling cared about ended up collateral damage to something Greed wanted. 

Greed huffed.  _ I didn’t mean for Lan Fan to get hurt. _

“I never said I thought that,” he answered. “Just that you didn’t care enough to think it was a possibility.” At first, Ling had been angry. It was Greed’s fault that this had happened to Lan Fan, but what was anger going to get him? Maybe if he could get the demon to  _ understand, _ get him to actually  _ think _ about something for once in his goddamn life, Greed would start to realize some things. 

_What, you want me to say _sorry? he asked. 

Ling shrugged. “It’d be nice, but at this point, I don’t expect anything like that from you.” Greed was bad with words. Even if he said sorry, it wouldn’t feel sincere. 

Greed was silent, and Ling assumed the conversation was over. He certainly didn’t have anything else to say to the demon at this point. 

_ We’re going back out there, _ he said. 

Ling jerked his head up. “Huh?” 

_ I’m giving you all my power, and we’re gonna kill Wrath. That bastard doesn’t get to hurt Lan Fan like that and get away with it.  _

* * *

Winry watched the blood slide down the drain, clouding in the hot water running over her hands. Lan Fan would live, but obviously, she’d be without an arm. 

She wasn’t going to like that. 

As soon as her hands were clean, Winry dug her cellphone out of her pocket. It rang a few times, before the person on the other line answered. 

“Hey, babe. What’s up?” 

“Hey, Paninya,” Winry said. “I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that we’re going to have a new client within the next few weeks. Do me a favor and let everyone in the shop know? Tell them I’ll bake an apple pie for whoever gives me the best design to use as a base. I'll get measurements to you as soon as I can.” 

Paninya laughed. “You got it!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Paninya's finally here! I lover her, and I'm super excited to finally get to write for her


	18. Step Eighteen: make amends after you screw up

Ling knew this wasn’t a good idea. Hell, Ling knew this was a  _ bad _ idea.

But he didn’t care. 

He was pissed off, tired of feeling useless, of letting Lan Fan do everything, ending up hurt because of  _ him. _ Sure, killing Wrath might not get her arm back, but it would sure feel nice to drive a sword through the demon's chest. 

“I hope you know this doesn’t mean I forgive you,” Ling said. 

Greed scoffed.  _ I never asked you to. _

Ling rolled his eyes. Had Greed had an actual body, he thought he might have strangled him by now. The demon obviously felt bad, and if he would only  _ admit it, _ it would make it easier for everyone. 

_ He’s close,  _ Greed said.  _ Even I can sense him now. _

Ling gripped his blade tighter. 

* * *

Havoc grabbed Riza’s shoulder. “I told him to stay with Winry, what the  _ hell _ is he doing?” 

As soon as she realized what Havoc meant, Riza froze. “What are they  _ doing? _ Ling can’t use holy magic, and Greed sure as hell can’t!” Her body instinctively shivered as she felt the surge of power as two of the Seven clashed. “Mustang!” 

He narrowly avoided one of Envy’s blows. “I’m kind of busy, Hawkeye!” 

She grit her teeth. She didn’t want to leave Mustang, but Wrath was going to cut Ling and Greed to pieces if someone else didn’t get over there. Not to mention… she’d always dreamed of cutting Wrath down herself, ever since she had met Mustang. 

A gunshot rang through the air, and a bullet burrowed into the ground at Envy’s feet. They yelped, and bounded backwards a few steps. 

“Riza! Jean!” Rebecca called from a nearby rooftop. “I’ll give him cover, you two go!” 

“You’re an angel, Cattalina!” Havoc exclaimed as he sprinted off in the direction of Wrath, Greed, and Ling. 

“Fuck off, I’m hellspawn!” she shouted as she fired another shot. 

“Sir?” Riza asked, still not wanting to leave Mustang unless he gave her the all clear. 

He gave her a sharp nod, before turning his attention back to Envy. “Go, so long as you come back in one piece.” 

“Yes, sir!” She turned and followed after Havoc, already letting her human visage slip away. 

* * *

Ling’s sword clanged against Wrath’s, sparks flying as the metal screeched. 

“I always knew humans were ridiculous,” Wrath said. “But you seriously came back just to die? For what? Something as petty as revenge?” He laughed. “Maybe I’m starting to understand why you get along so well with Greed.” 

_ Punch him in the dick, _ Greed said.  _ I’m  _ begging _ you to punch him in the dick. _

_ Greed…. Now is not the time! _ Ling snapped as he was shoved backwards by Wrath. 

Wrath swung his sword, much too quickly for Ling to react, and it sliced across his chest. He cried out as his chest was torn open, blood pouring from the wound. 

_ Ling!  _ Greed shouted. 

The wound began to knit itself closed, just in time for Wrath to shove his sword through Ling’s throat. 

He gasped, dropping his own blade to claw weakly at Wrath’s weapon. He began to panic as trying to breathe only made the pain intensify. He could feel his own blood bubbling in his throat, sliding into his lungs. He slid down the wall Wrath pinned him to. Coughing and wheezing around the metal, everything started to get fuzzy. 

_ Hey, hey, Ling! You gotta get it pulled out! _ Greed said. 

_ I—I can’t— _

Wrath finally yanked the sword out, and Ling gasped. He pressed his hands against the gaping wound in his throat, horrified by the sheer amount of blood that poured from the wound. 

_ Listen, we both know I can’t handle him at this point. You’ve gotta pull yourself together! _

Ling knew Greed was right. He pulled his hand away from his throat, and fumbled around for the sword he’d dropped, before forcing himself back to his feet. 

Wrath kicked him back down, and shoved his sword through Ling’s shoulder. 

Ling screamed. Greed’s shield crawled over his hand as his clawed pitifully against the blade. How was Wrath so  _ strong? _

“Greed, I’m going to assume it’s your fault these damn witches managed to kill Lust,” Wrath said. 

Greed took control, just long enough to say, “Yeah, and she was a fucking bitch who had it coming, and the rest of you bastards are next!” 

Wrath narrowed his eyes, yanked his sword back, and pulled it back for another strike. 

Ling threw his arms up, covering them in Greed’s shield, hoping it was enough to block the next blow. 

An arrow shot through Wrath’s shoulder, tearing it open. The demon stumbled forward a step, his eyes widening in shock. 

“I always knew it would feel good to shoot you,” Havoc said. “But  _ goddamn, _ that was cathartic!” 

While Wrath was distracted, Ling finally grabbed his sword and darted out of the way. There was no doubt in his mind that Havoc and Hawkeye were a lot better to handle this. He’d nearly gotten himself  _ killed _ because he wasn’t thinking straight! 

“Ah, my wayward general who sold herself to the witches, and her favorite underling,” Wrath said. 

Havoc grinned and nocked another arrow. “Burn in hell.” 

Both the familiars had dropped their human disguises. He’d already seen Hawkeye’s, and it was no less terrifying a second time. Havoc’s wasn’t  _ too _ jarring. The only big differences were the curled, ram-like horns on his head, and the strange black patterns that covered what skin Ling could see. 

Wrath scoffed. “As if you could kill me. Demons can’t cast holy magic.” 

Hawkeye smirked as she pulled back her bowstring. The arrow she held in place burned so brightly that Ling couldn’t even look directly at it. It was like a  _ miniature sun. _ “My master created this arrow for me,  _ specifically _ so I could kill you with my own hands.” 

_ Oh shit, that thing’s  _ loaded _ with holy magic, _ Greed said.  _ I have no idea how she’s even  _ touching _ that thing! _

Either Wrath hadn’t noticed that, or, the more likely scenario, he didn’t care. 

“Ling, get out of here,” Hawkeye said. “Havoc, stay behind me.” 

Havoc took a step back. “You don’t have to tell me twice.” 

With the last of wounds finally finished regenerating, Ling sprinted out of the way, wanting to be  _ nowhere near _ that arrow when it was released. The magic on it was so thick even  _ he _ could sense it. 

“You know I don’t miss, Wrath,” Hawkeye said. “You’re the one who made me that way.” 

She let the arrow fly. 

Ling dove behind a dumpster, just in time for the magic in the arrow to  _ explode. _ Even from his distance, it was so hot it  _ burned! _ The light was blinding, and he instinctively squeezed his eyes shut. 

_ What the fuck!? _ Greed demanded.  _ What the  _ actual _ fuck!? _

The light and heat began to die away, and Ling dared to peak out from his hiding spot, to see Hawkeye and Havoc standing at the edge of a small crater. 

“If that bastard comes back from that, I don’t know what the fuck we’re gonna do,” Havoc said as he shook his head. 

Hawkeye lowed her bow. 

“Geez… Armstrong’s gonna chew us out for sure. There’s no way in hell we’re getting out of this without  _ at least _ getting branded as some kind of terrorist attack,” he continued. 

Hawkeye shrugged. “We could claim it was a gas leak or something.” 

Havoc scoffed. “How much damn holy magic did you guys put in that fucking arrow?” 

She hummed. “About ten times the amount we used to kill Lust.” 

Greed shoved Ling out of control and jumped to his feet. “What the hell, woman? That’s a bit fucking excessive!” 

She glared at him. “We wanted to be thorough. And you were damn useless today.” 

Greed huffed, but didn’t try to deny what she said. 

“You’re goddamn terrifying, Hawkeye,” Havoc said. 

* * *

Ed held his hands out like he wanted to strangle him. Honestly, Greed was surprised he hadn’t tried at this point. 

All Ed had ever asked of him was to keep Ling safe, and he’d fucked that up today. On  _ multiple _ occasions. 

Ling was the first thing he’d had after his entire life had been more or less reset, and Greed couldn’t even keep  _ him _ safe. First he’d frozen up like that, was completely  _ useless, _ and then he was the moron who had convinced Ling to try fighting Wrath  _ again.  _ If it hadn’t been for Hawkeye and Havoc, god knew what might have happened to them. 

“You are  _ so _ lucky Lan Fan is unconscious right now,” Ed said. “She would fucking  _ kill you. _ I told you to keep him from getting hurt! Dear fucking  _ god,  _ Greed!” 

“Shut up!” he snapped. He didn’t need Ed to tell him this. He already fucking knew! 

“I know Ling’s not gonna care about himself nearly getting killed,” he continued. “So I’m gonna yell at you for it! Dammit, he’s one of my best friends, you can’t get him killed, you jackass!” 

Greed clenched his fists, then winced at all the sticky blood that still clung to them. God, couldn’t everyone wait to yell at him until after a shower or something? Ed was just the first in line. He knew Winry would be next, then probably that Armstrong woman. God, he nearly shuddered when he thought about Lan Fan waking up. Not to mention Ling’s kid sister who was sure to be coming around again soon. 

“Aren’t you gonna say something!?” Ed demanded. “I want to go check on Lan Fan, and I need to report to Armstrong and Mustang, but I don’t want you running off until I’m done!”

“Nothing to say, runt,” he said. “I fucking know what happened.” 

“Tch. You could at least  _ try _ to look a little remorseful.” He shook his head. “Ling, what about you? I know you had a hand in this, too. You’re not exactly just along for the ride.” 

Ling had been completely silent ever since Greed had taken over after Hawkeye’s attack against Wrath. He’d even managed to close off his thoughts and feelings for the most part, so Greed couldn’t even  _ begin _ to guess what was going through his head. “He’s not answering,” Greed said. 

Ed groaned and shook his head. “Well whatever. I don’t even know what I want you to say, I just—” He broke off, before muttering something under his breath. “I have other things to deal with right now.” And he walked off. 

Greed groaned and slumped further into his chair. Sure, they’d managed to take down Wrath, but Envy had escaped. And evidently, so had Gluttony, which was who Ed and Al had been dealing with. Not to mention how Amestris was scrambling to cover up what had happened today. 

Today had been a goddamn disaster. 

_ Hey, Ling? _

He still didn’t get an answer. 

Greed sighed. Sure, Ling said he didn’t want him to say sorry, but Greed knew that wasn’t true. He was obviously mad at him, and honestly, Greed couldn’t blame him. He’d be pissed if someone caused one of his possessions to be so badly injured. 

He thought going out to kill Wrath would fix it, but… 

That had kind of backfired too. 

Who was he kidding? Ling and Lan Fan were going to be in the line of fire as long as he was possessing Ling. There was no way around that. If he really wanted to protect them, protect  _ Ling, _ he needed his own body. Today had gone _beyond_ proving that. 

_ Hey, Ling. I wanna become your familiar.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god i'm so ready for the next few chapters


	19. Step Nineteen: finally stop fucking possessing them

_ You want to what? _ Ling asked. 

Greed scoffed.  _ You heard me. _ There was no point in repeating himself. 

_ But… but you…  _ Greed had never heard Ling so confused, and that was saying something.  _ Since when? Wait, you better not just be doing this because you won’t just fucking say sorry!  _

Greed rolled his eyes.  _ I’ve never done anything I didn’t want to in my life. _ He forced himself up to go find Mustang, or some other witch who actually knew the specifics of how all of this worked.  _ And so what if it was? You saying you  _ want _ me to keep possessing you? _

_ No! I just…  _ He sighed.  _ It seems sudden. You’ve never acted like you wanted to be a familiar before. _

_ I didn’t want to be a familiar to some random Amestris bitch, _ he said.  _ Guess I’ll be alright if it’s you. Besides, I keep getting you stabbed, and I’m fucking tired of it. _

_ Why do you care if I get stabbed? What’s so different about me?  _

Greed hummed, opting not to reply. 

Ling huffed, clearly annoyed. But at least he was talking to him now. 

_ But let’s get one thing straight, _ Greed said.  _ I’m not  _ your _ familiar. You’re  _ my _ witch. _

Ling laughed. It was quiet, and a little sad, but a laugh nonetheless.  _ Yeah, I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.  _

* * *

“You want to  _ what!?” _ Ed shouted. 

Greed winced and leaned back. “Exactly what I said. I want to be a familiar.” 

Ed couldn’t believe what he was hearing.  _ Greed _ wanted to become a  _ familiar. _ It wasn’t that he wanted the demon to keep possessing Ling, but this was  _ weird. _ Did that mean he was going to become an official Amestrian familiar? What witch was he even going to end up with? Hell, they were still looking for an official witch for Sheshka, ever since Hughes had died. 

Armstrong crossed her arms. “Oh, so you’ve finally decided to stop being stubborn? I have a few witches in mind that might—” 

Greed shook his head. “No. It’s Ling, or I don’t do it.” 

Oh, so Ling  _ still _ wasn’t getting out of this. Not really. Ed really shouldn’t be surprised. He leaned against the desk and nearly groaned. “Really?” 

_ “Yes,” _ the demon snapped. 

Ed looked to Armstrong, expecting her to put up more of a fight. But all she said was, “Fine. Either way, you’ll be more manageable once there’s one person per body. Elric, get this sorted out.” 

“Wha– _ Me?” _ he asked. “Why me!?”

She shrugged. “It’s your damn roommate, and he’s Mustang’s pet project. I’m not getting anymore involved in this than I need to, so it doesn’t bite me in the ass one day.” 

Ed huffed. “Goddammit. Fucking Envy. Just had to grab my fucking roommate. Whatever. Fine. Fucking fine. Let’s go.” He grabbed Greed’s jacket, trying to ignore that it was still damp with blood. “If you both really wanna do this, let’s get it over with.” 

* * *

“So…” Ling rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t really know anything about this. I never learned much about familiars, since it… you know, never really seemed important to me. And Greed’s useless so he doesn’t know anything either.” 

_ Sorry I don’t know much about turning myself into a slave for witches, _ he grumbled. 

“Stand still, Ling.” Winry grabbed his shoulders to keep him from fidgeting. “You're going to drive me insane.” 

“Well, you’re already better off than Al and I were,” Ed said, glancing up from all the weird symbols he was scribbling on the floor around Ling. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Oh, you know.” He shrugged. “My leg was missing, I was bleeding out and drawing the array in my own blood, trying to keep Al from like… being dragged to Hell or something. It wasn’t a fun time.” 

Winry glared at him. “Don’t joke about that! I was terrified when Amestris showed up at your house because they sensed forbidden magic. And then they dragged you both out and  _ that _ had happened.” 

Ling frowned. He’d never actually learned much about Ed and Al’s past. They would probably tell him if he asked, but… he’d heard little bits like that before and wasn’t sure if it was  _ okay _ to ask about. 

Ed continued his work with the array. “It’s not  _ my _ fault that God hates me.” 

“That’s a little harsh,” Ling said. 

“Oh, I’m not at all joking,” he said. But then he grinned. “And don’t worry about it. You’re a powerful witch, even if you don’t really know how to use your magic right now, so you’ll be fine. Worst thing is, you’ll probably be really, really tired for the next few days.” 

“Huh?” 

“Well I mean, for one thing you’ve gotten used to having the power of a demon, and suddenly that will be gone, plus, it’s going to be  _ your _ magic sustaining Greed’s physical form, and you have to get used to that, too. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if you end up basically in a coma for a few days. By the way, when  _ was _ the last time you actually slept?” he asked. 

“What?” 

Ed rolled his eyes. “Come on, don’t bother. We  _ live _ together. I  _ know _ you haven’t been sleeping since this started. Have you at all?” 

He shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “I don’t know… I think I napped for a while a couple weeks ago.” 

“Ling!” Winry exclaimed. 

“What? Greed doesn’t… We just don’t like sleeping,” he said. 

Ed gave him a look, and he clearly didn’t believe him. Not that Ling could blame him, considering how much he used to sleep  _ before _ this had happened. He  _ loved _ napping, and Ed knew it. 

_ Well now you can sleep all you want, _ Greed said.  _ Although I don’t understand why anyone would like doing that. _

Ling had to bite back saying,  _ Not everyone has nightmares like that. _ This wasn’t time to get into Greed’s issues. Especially not after everything that had happened today. Speaking of which… “What about Lan Fan?” he asked. “When should she be waking up? I want to be with her when she does.” 

Winry sighed. “I’m not sure, yet, Ling. Right now, I think it might actually be better to keep her under for a little while. Just so she’s not in anymore pain than she needs to be in.” She stepped back when Ed nudged her, wanting to draw where she’d been standing. “And I don’t know if she’ll want to do this… but I already talked to my girlfriend about getting some designs ready if she wants automail.” 

Ling nodded. “Thanks, Winry.” 

“Of course! I won’t even charge you guys,” she said. 

“What!?” Ed demanded. “You charge me!” 

“Yeah, but do you know how much money you make?” She shook her head, but smiled fondly. “I have to be able to afford the cost of living  _ somehow.” _

_ Lan Fan’ll be happy she’s just got you again, _ Greed said. 

_ You know, even if she won’t admit it, she  _ does _ like you, too, _ he replied. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t talk to him at all. Lan Fan was  _ very _ good at making it clear when she didn’t like someone. 

Greed didn’t reply. 

“Okay.” Ed stood up and tossed his chalk off to the side. “And yeah, since you don’t really have any intention of  _ controlling _ Greed, I’m assuming—” 

Ling shook his head. “No, absolutely not.” 

“Yeah, I didn’t think so,” he said. “But yeah, this really isn’t going to affect either of you too much, other than Greed using some of your magic. Uh… sometimes if witches and their familiars get really far apart, they’ll feel a little strain on their magic, but it’s not too bad. I mean, Al doesn’t even live with us and we’re both fine. Not everyone is as dependent on each other as Hawkeye and Mustang.” 

“Ed,” Winry scolded. 

He waved her off. “Yeah, yeah. Just… you  _ are _ going to be stuck with each other, indefinitely, at this point, although… I guess for you two, it’s not as stuck with each other as you are now, so never mind.” 

“Okay…” Ling could admit he was a  _ little _ excited about getting his body back to himself, even if he had gotten used to sharing it at this point. Plus, it would be nice to be able to have a conversation face to face with Greed, rather than them just mentally yelling at each other. 

_ Oh god, I can go to my classes alone again!  _

_ Yeah, and thank Christ for that, they’re so goddamn boring, _ Greed said. 

“Hey!” Ed waved his hand in Ling’s face. “God, that’s one thing I’m  _ not _ going to miss. I’m  _ talking _ to you!” 

Ling blinked. “Yeah, what exactly do  _ I _ need to do?” 

Ed grabbed his shoulders and moved him so that he was standing directly in the middle of the circle. “Not much, really. It’s easier for me to just do the spell for you, since, like I said, at this point you don’t really have a good control over your magic. So yeah, just stand there, and basically, I’m going to yank an extra soul out of your body, but leave it connected to your magic.” He nodded towards Winry. “And Winry’s gonna help.” 

He couldn’t help but shudder. “Sounds fun.” He only hoped this was less confusing and painful than when he had been possessed in the first place. 

Winry clasped her hands together. “Oh, don’t worry, Ling. Ed and I are very good at familiar spells. Mustang ropes Ed into doing them for Amestris all the time. They can be… a little overwhelming, but they don’t hurt.” 

“Alright.” Ed held his hands out, and magic began to swirl around him. “Let’s do this.” 

_ See you around, _ Greed said. 

Ling had been around magic a lot recently. The witches and demons of Amestris used it  _ constantly, _ even for the most mundane of tasks, simply because they could, it seemed like. Hell, Ling had even done a few simple spells himself. 

But this spell was… different. 

Maybe it was because he hadn’t been exposed to very many powerful spells, so he just hadn’t had the chance to get used to them yet. Or maybe it was because no spell had actually been used  _ on _ him (that he remembered, anyways). 

He definitely understood what Winry meant by it being  _ overwhelming.  _

His skin prickled, and an anxious energy spread through his chest. “Oh, this is weird…” He wriggled his fingers, like he needed to confirm he  _ could _ still move them. 

“Okay, Ling, brace yourself,” Ed said. “This is when it gets intense.” 

“Wait, wha—” 

The pressure of the magic intensified, and Ling grit his teeth. His body began to shake, shivering violently. Winry was right, nothing  _ hurt, _ but his body felt… off. His head was getting fuzzy, and the room began to spin. The foreign feeling in his chest spread throughout the rest of his body, leaving too much  _ space.  _

He thought Winry and Ed might have been talking to them, but if they were, Ling didn’t understand them. Dark blots blended together in his vision, and he suddenly felt so  _ heavy, _ so  _ tired.  _

He thought someone might have caught him just before he collapsed, but he wasn’t too sure. 

All he knew was that something was missing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next few chapters are gonna be so fun


	20. Step Twenty: figure out how the hell this is supposed to work without telepathy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started a new job and oh my god I'm dying this is my first day off since I started and my only one for another two weeks. That and five classes? Yeah someone pls come put me out of my misery. But anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

“When’s the last time you moved?” 

“Dunno. It’s not like I have anywhere else to be.” 

Someone scoffed. “You could just admit you’re worried about them.” 

“Fuck off.” 

They sighed. “They’ll both be fine. They just need some more rest. So quit hovering.” 

“I’m not fucking hovering—”

Ling groaned, and snuggled further into the blanket wrapped around him. The fuzziness of sleep was something he’d missed, it’d been so  _ long. _ It wouldn’t hurt to sleep a little longer, would it? 

“Ling? You awake?” 

He sighed. But evidently Ed wasn’t going to let him. Reluctantly, he cracked an eye open. “Hm?” 

Ed leaned down. “Oh, good. You’re awake. Armstrong’s been busting my ass about you sleeping in the infirmary for the past day, but I didn’t want to try and carry you home. Get up. You can sleep some more after you go home.” 

Ling forced himself up, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. “What about Lan Fan? And Gr—” He cut himself off, staring at the man sitting in the floor a few paces away, leaned against the wall. 

“Quit starin,’ pissant,” he said. “Acting like you’ve never seen a demon before.” 

Ling’s eyes widened. He  _ knew _ that voice. He’d been hearing it inside his head, coming out of his own mouth, for  _ months _ now. But hearing it from a different person… was so  _ jarring. _ “I…” This was  _ Greed. _ It was obvious, really. Sure, Ling had never actually seen his face before, but he knew those purple eyes, they were the same ones he’d had while he was possessed. The god-awful sense of fashion, (was he seriously wearing a vest with a fur collar?), the reason Ling had refused to let the demon pick out any clothes. And of course, that stupid fucking  _ grin, _ filled with sharp teeth, that Ling realized he liked a lot better on Greed’s actual face than his own. “Hi…” he finally forced out, after an agonizing moment of awkward silence. 

Ed glanced between the two of them, before sighing and shaking his head. “Have fun. But seriously, Ling. Go home. You look awful, and I know you’re gonna pass out again soon. I’d take you myself, but I’m busy.” He patted Ling’s shoulder. “Glad you’re okay, though.” And he left. 

Leaving Ling alone with Greed. Something he definitely shouldn’t feel so weird about, considering they’d literally been  _ sharing a fucking body  _ before all of this. 

But… that was it, wasn’t it? 

Before, they’d been stuck together. Literally. Greed put up with Ling because he had to. But now… well, they weren’t together anymore, what if he didn’t want anything to do with Ling anymore? He  _ could _ be kind of annoying, and now… Greed really wasn’t getting anything out of their relationship. 

That, and used to, Ling could tell what the demon was feeling. Hell, most of the time he could tell what he was  _ thinking.  _ And now, there was nothing. He had no idea what was going on in Greed’s head. 

He kind of hated it. 

“Runt’s right,” Greed said. “You look god-fucking-awful.” 

Ling blinked, snapping himself out of his thoughts. “Huh?” 

“Think you need to sleep for another month or two,” he said as he stood up, and  _ wow, _ he was tall. 

“I’m fine,” he insisted. Even though he  _ did _ feel like he was about to pass out any second. And kept thinking about how nice his bed sounded. Not to mention— “Lan Fan?” 

Greed nodded towards one of the other beds. “She’s still out. Fullmetal’s girl said she’s keeping her that way for at least a couple more days.” 

“Oh…” That was probably a good thing. It gave everyone time to calm down after the attack, and for the worst of the damage to begin to heal before Lan Fan woke up and… well, she realized what had happened. 

“So let’s go,” Greed said. 

“What?” 

“Jesus Christ, can you only hear when I’m yelling at you inside your head?” he asked. “I said  _ let’s go.” _ He stalked over, grabbed Ling’s upper arm, and hauled him out of bed. “I’d rather not carry you if you pass out.” 

Once again, Ling just stared at him. 

“What?” Greed leaned closer. “I don’t look that weird, do I?” 

“No!” Ling shook his head. “No. I just—” He broke off into a yawn. “Sorry. I’m just… tired.” Might as well use his exhaustion as an excuse. 

Greed hummed. “Whatever. Let’s go.” 

* * *

They didn’t talk the entire way home. Honestly, Ling wasn’t even sure why Greed had come with him. What was he going to do? Ling was going to pass out for an indefinite amount of time, and he knew for a fact that Greed wasn’t good at entertaining himself. He was very much a people person, and didn’t like being alone, even if he would  _ never _ admit it. 

“You know, you can go back to Amestris,” Ling said as he unlocked the door. 

“To keep an eye on Lan Fan?” Greed asked. 

“What?” Ling shook his head. “No, I just meant you don’t have to follow me around everywhere.” He figured that would get pretty boring. 

Greed narrowed his eyes, but didn’t reply.

Ling sighed and stepped inside, kicking his shoes off as he went. “Alright then. I guess you know what’s around… Do whatever you want. But I’m going back to bed.” Ed hadn’t been kidding about how tired he would be. He felt worse than he had when he’d stayed up for four days straight during finals week. 

Then again… he supposed he had technically been awake for a couple months. 

He shuffled into his bedroom, and tugged his hair out of its messy ponytail. He couldn’t deal with this right now. He didn’t even know  _ what _ to deal with. Greed was… well, he wasn’t  _ doing _ anything. He was weirdly quiet, just following Ling around like a cat, or something. What was he supposed to do with that? 

If he couldn’t get Greed to actually talk to him when they’d been sharing a body, then how in the hell was he supposed to get him to talk to him now? 

But it wasn’t like he could do anything about it, so he would just go to bed. 

He realized with a sick feeling that there was still blood on his shirt. The bloody jacket had vanished, probably taken by someone when he was still asleep, but some had soaked through. He grabbed a different t-shirt, wanting out of the bloody clothes, finally. Honestly, he should probably shower, but he had no doubt in his mind that he would pass out if he tried that. It wouldn’t be the first time he fell asleep in the shower.

He tugged the clean shirt over his head, and turned around, ready to go back to sleep, only to find Greed sitting on his bed. “What are you doing?” 

“Going to bed,” he said, like it was perfectly obvious. 

“What? You don’t sleep.” Then he frowned. “That’s my bed!” 

Greed scoffed and leaned back. “I’m not sleeping on the damn floor.” 

“But you don’t sleep!” 

“That was when you were living with my power, now  _ I’m _ living because of  _ yours,” _ he said. “And I’m fucking tired because you aren’t as powerful.” 

Ling’s frown deepened. “Well I’m not sleeping on the couch.” Not in his own damn house. 

“Didn’t figure you would,” Greed said with a shrug. 

_ Oh…  _ Ling sighed. It wasn’t like this was any more intimate than sharing a body, though, so what was the big deal? And the bed was plenty big enough for the both of them. 

He walked over, and fell face first into his mattress. He didn’t even care. He was just  _ tired.  _ He could deal with this after his eyes weren’t burning and he could actually think straight. 

He felt Greed shift next to him, taking no time in making himself comfortable. 

Ling hoped he actually  _ did _ manage to sleep, since he had so many issues with it. 

He didn’t spend long worrying, though. He passed back out after a few seconds of lying still. 

* * *

“He in there, Winry?” Ed called softly from the kitchen. 

“Yeah, they’re both in here,” she replied. 

_ “Both _ of them?” Ed demanded. 

Winry whipped around to hush him. “They’re sleeping! Be quiet.” 

Ed huffed and walked over to peer over her shoulder. “Oh come on. They’ll do that, but they won’t admit they like each other?”

Winry glared at Ed, but her chuckle probably undid any of her intimidation. “Like you’re great at admitting to your feelings either. There’s no doubt in my mind that we wouldn’t be together if I hadn’t made the first move.” 

He crossed his arms and turned his nose up. “Not true! I was planning to confess to you anyways, just before you did to me!” 

She leaned over to kiss his cheek. “Whatever you say, Ed.” 

He huffed and gave her a fond smile, before turning his attention back to Ling and Greed. “They did need the sleep, though.” 

Winry hummed in agreement. Greed hadn’t left Ling or Lan Fan’s side ever since he’d gotten his own body. She knew how draining a familiar spell could be, for both the witch and the demon. God knew how he’d even managed to function for as long as he had. 

They didn’t look like they were going to wake up anytime soon. Neither one of them had so much as stirred, even with Ed and Winry having a conversation in the doorway. Ling was nestled against Greed’s chest, with one arm slung over his middle. Greed had an arm wrapped around Ling’s shoulders, and his face was buried in his hair. 

“How come you never cuddle with me like that?” Winry asked. 

“You’re the one who always kicks me away in the middle of the night!” Ed protested. “Paninya will back me up on that, she says you do the same thing.” 

“I do not!” she argued. 

“Whatever you say.” Ed walked back to the kitchen. “I wonder what Lan Fan’ll say.” 

Winry closed the bedroom door and followed after him. “Oh, she’ll probably be relieved that Greed’s not possessing Ling anymore.” 

“Oh no.” Ed shook his head. “I meant about  _ that. _ You know how protective she is.” 

Winry frowned. “We don’t even know what  _ that _ is. It’s not fair to speculate.” 

“Come on.” He gave her a  _ look, _ just before he started digging around in the fridge to find something to eat. “Greed became a damn familiar for Ling, after he swore up and down that he wasn’t gonna do that. And Ling doesn’t even do shit like that with Lan Fan.” 

Well… when he put it that way… Winry sighed. “Well, whatever. We still shouldn’t be talking about it. Especially with how strict Amestris is about witches and familiars.” 

Ed rolled his eyes. “Mustang and Hawkeye have been together for years and no one’s done a damn thing about it.” 

“That’s because Armstrong pretends she doesn’t notice, and both of them keep it on the down low. Not everyone knows. And if the higher ups ever  _ did _ find out…” She nearly shuddered. At the very least, they’d take Hawkeye away from Mustang and force her to become someone else’s familiar. Worst case scenario, they could end up going to trial under Amestrian law. “They’re a lot sneakier than you give them credit for. No one outside the branch has ever found out, and I’m pretty sure the only people that  _ do _ know, are ones that they’ve told themselves, like Havoc and Rebecca, and us.” 

Ed tossed some container of leftovers into the microwave. “I guess you’re right. Do you want some of this?” 

She shook her head. “Nah, I’m heading over to Paninya’s soon. I want to take a look at the designs she’s drawn up for Lan Fan.” 

* * *

Greed jerked awake, his heart pounding in his ears. For a second, all he could smell was blood, feel swords in his chest, hear screaming— 

Ling pressed closer, probably irritated by the sudden movement. 

Greed took a deep breath, trying to calm down as he realized where he was, felt Ling’s arm wrapped around him. 

_ Ling’s arm. _

He glanced down, still a little weirded out by seeing Ling.  _ Actually _ seeing him. He definitely wore his face a lot better than Greed had. Though he could admit…. He didn’t like not knowing what he was thinking. He had no idea what was going on in Ling’s head anymore, had no idea what he thought about him. 

When Ling had first woken up, that blank look… and then telling Greed to go back to Amestris because he didn’t want him following him around. Did he not want Greed around anymore? 

Not that he could really blame him, after everything that had happened… 

But then again, Ling  _ was _ pressed pretty close… 

This would be so much fucking easier if he knew what he was thinking, dammit! 

He groaned, and slid down the wall he was half-leaned against. Ling shifted with him, never letting go. 

The bedroom door cracked open and Ed stuck his head inside. “Oh, I thought I heard something.” Then he snickered and gestured to them. “This is cute.” 

“Fuck off, half-pint,” he snapped. 

Ed flipped him off. “You’re not getting any dinner.” 

“I said fuck off!” 


	21. Step Twenty-One: actually start to address your feelings (even if it's just to yourself)

Lan Fan buried her face in Ling’s shoulder, relishing in the fact that this was  _ Ling. _ Only Ling, no one else. He was careful as he held her, even if his hug was tight. “I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I’m sorry, Lan Fan, I’m so sorry.” 

She let out a shaky breath and pulled away. “I’ll… I’ll be okay.” 

She’d woken up a couple hours ago, and realized what she had done. Of course, when she cut her arm off, she knew what she was doing, knew she would never get it back, but it was another thing entirely to really be  _ hit _ with the reality of it. Cutting it off had been a heat of the moment decision, it had been easy, alarmingly so. 

Probably because she hadn’t really thought about it. 

But there was nothing to do about that now. 

Winry had made sure she wasn’t in any pain, and she’d been unconscious for almost a week. The worst of the damage had actually been healed with magic, so it could be much,  _ much _ worse, she told herself. 

It didn’t help. 

“It’s not your fault, Ling,” she said. She knew exactly how his mind worked, knew he would be blaming himself for this, and she wasn’t going to let him do that. 

This was no one’s fault but her own. She was the one who had jumped in front of that sword. She was the one who cut her arm off.  _ She _ was the one who had made those decisions, no one else. 

Ling sighed and shook his head. “You don’t need to be trying to make me feel better right now. Just worry about yourself.” 

“Think you do enough worrying about her yourself,” Greed said as he leaned over Ling’s shoulder. “She’s too stubborn to let something like this stop her.” 

Lan Fan stared at the demon. As relieved as she was about Ling having his body back to himself, it was still weird to see Greed as himself, not  _ Ling. _ She also couldn’t believe that someone had actually managed to convince him to become a familiar. “Yeah…” She held her hand against the bandages. “Winry mentioned automail.” 

“Are you going to do it?” Ling asked. 

She shrugged, before wincing. “I don’t… It’s a lot to wrap my head around.” She leaned back against her pillow. “And she said I should talk to Ed about it before I made any decisions. She just wanted to make sure I knew it was an option.” 

“She showed us some of the designs her girl drew up,” Greed said. “They look pretty badass.” 

Lan Fan frowned. “She’s already got designs?” 

Ling nodded. “She just wants to be ready, if you decide you want to do that. I think Winry works when she gets worried.” 

“Yeah…” Lan Fan had noticed that herself. If Winry was stressed or worried about something, she worked. She found anything that needed to be done, and did it. “Like I said, it’s just a lot.” 

“I know,” Ling said.

* * *

“She’s gonna be fine,” Greed said. “She’s fucking  _ Lan Fan.” _

Ling slid further down the couch. “Yeah, but it still sucks.” Of course he knew Lan Fan was going to be alright, but it was still awful that she had to go through this. 

“I’m surprised she didn’t try to kill me,” Greed admitted. “Worried she might, after she gets that automail.” 

Ling couldn’t help but laugh. He wasn’t  _ wrong. _ At the very least, he was probably going to get punched. “Eh, she won’t do anything too bad,” he said as he leaned against Greed’s shoulder. “She’d miss you.” 

Greed snorted. “Sure.” 

“She would,” he insisted. 

Greed didn’t reply, but he did wrap his arm around Ling’s shoulders. 

At first, all the casual touching had been… odd. Even after they shared a bed. But then Ling thought about it, and was it really? They’d shared a fucking body, this was  _ nothing. _ Sure, he wasn’t even like this with Lan Fan, but Greed was… he was different. Ling didn’t really know how to explain it, he just was. 

Across the apartment, Ed looked up from the spellbook he was scribbling in to stare at them. “Ridiculous.” 

“What?” Ling asked. 

Ed shook his head. “Nothing, Just bitching about this spellbook.” 

He definitely  _ wasn’t, _ but Ling didn’t really feel like getting into it with Ed. 

“Oh.” Ed set the spellbook aside. “Winry told me to let you know she’s taking Lan Fan to meet with Paninya tomorrow.” 

“Tomorrow?” Ling frowned. “Dammit. I wanted to go with her when she did that.” 

Ed frowned. “Why can’t you?” 

“I’m meeting with Mei.” 

“Oh yeah…” 

Ling glanced up at Greed. “Can you go with her?” 

_ “Me?” _ He frowned. “I don’t think—”

“Please?” he asked. “I know Winry’ll be there, but I want someone else to go with her, and you know her pretty well. Besides, Mei really, really doesn’t like you, so there’s no point in you coming with me.” 

Greed sighed. “I guess I can.” 

“Thank you.” He pressed closer. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Winry or Paninya, that wasn’t it at all. He just wanted someone with Lan Fan who would keep her from making hasty decisions, and honestly, at this point, Greed knew her a lot better than Winry did, even if he didn’t didn’t want to admit it. Hell, he might not even  _ realize _ it. 

“Yeah, whatever. Have fun with your fucking brat of a sister,” he said. 

Ling hummed. It was his first time actually meeting with Mei alone, since this had all happened. But now that it was just him, he would like to get to know her a little bit better, maybe even learn some more about Xing. 

He still wasn’t sure if he wanted his old memories back, and he was even less sure about ever wanting to be involved with Xing again, especially now that he had so many connections with Amestris. Hell, at this point, being an unaligned witch like Winry sounded nice. 

But he did want a relationship with his sister, if he could manage it. 

“Hey, when you see Mei, tell her Al has been missing her,” Ed said. “She hasn’t been around in a while.”

“Yeah, okay,” he said. “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask, are they dating? They seem like they really like each other.” 

Ed looked like he wanted to bang his head against a wall. “Seriously?” 

* * *

“Greed? What are you doing here?” Winry asked. 

“Ling asked me to come with Lan Fan,” he said. God knew why. He probably just wanted an excuse to keep him away from Mei. 

“He did?” Lan fan asked. 

“Yeah.” Greed crossed his arms. “Doubt he’s gonna let you go anywhere by yourself now.” 

Winry glanced between the two of them. “Okay, I’ll call Paninya and let her know we’re about to head over, and then we’ll go.” She stepped away to call her girlfriend. 

Lan Fan readjusted her jacket, holding the collar tight in her fist, trying to keep it from sliding off. 

“Listen—” he began. 

Lan Fan sighed. “I don’t blame you.” 

Greed’s mouth snapped shut. He honestly had no idea what he had been about to say. What was there  _ to _ say? He’d frozen up, refused to give Ling any control at all, and it was because of that that Lan Fan had jumped in between them and Wrath. 

_ Was _ he going to apologize? To try and take the blame? 

“Look, I don’t know what happened, why you did what you did, but I don’t blame you. Everything that happened was because of choices I made,” she said. “And I heard that you were the one who suggested you become a familiar. You feel bad, and you’re trying to make up for it.” 

“I—” 

She held her hand up. “I’m not done. I know you’re too emotionally stunted to admit to these kinds of things, and frankly, I don’t like these types of things either, so we never have to bring any of this up ever again.” She glared at him. “But I don’t blame you, so don’t blame yourself. And so long as you treat Ling well,  _ we _ won’t have any problems.” 

He stared at her, trying to sort through everything she’d just said.

She really didn’t blame him. He had no idea how the hell she didn’t, the whole disaster was obviously his fault. 

But he definitely agreed with her about never wanting to discuss this  _ ever _ again. “Yeah, whatever you say, Lan Fan.” 

* * *

“Win!” Paninya bounded forward, wrapped her arms around Winry, and planted a kiss on her cheek. 

Winry chuckled, and kissed her back. “Hey, babe.” She pulled back. “This is Lan Fan, and Greed.” 

Lan Fan offered Paninya a small wave. Greed just looked her up and down, before grunting. 

“Don’t mind him,” Winry said. “He’s just grumpy because his witch went off without him today.” 

Greed rolled his eyes.

Paninya perked up. “You’re a familiar?” She bounced up to Greed, walking around him, inspecting him. “That’s so cool! The only other familiar I’ve got to meet is Al!” 

Greed eyed her. “Wait, she’s not a witch?” he realized. 

Winry shook her head. “Nope, she’s one hundred percent a normal human.” Paninya hadn’t even known that magic was real until Winry had told her. She was fascinated by it, and often asked Winry to meet other witches and demons, since the only ones she had met were Ed and Al. 

Well, now she had met Lan Fan and Greed, too. 

Paninya pranced backwards. “Human, and automail engineer apprentice!” She motioned for them to follow her. “I can show you some designs, Lan Fan.” 

Winry followed them further into the automail shop, letting Paninya do most of the talking. It wasn’t very often Winry got to introduce Paninya to anyone involved with this part of her life, so she let her girlfriend enjoy herself. She just wished she could have introduced Lan Fan to her under better circumstances. 

“Girl’s pretty peppy,” Greed muttered. 

Winry nodded. “Yeah, she’s been that way as long as I’ve known her.” Paninya was always smiling, doing what she could to make the best out of any situation. Maybe she could help Lan Fan in more ways than one. 

He hummed. 

“What’s your problem?” she asked. “You seem like you’re in a bad mood.” 

“Just thinking,” he said. 

Winry frowned, trying to decide if she wanted to dig into this right now. She noticed Paninya sit Lan Fan down, and start going over different designs with her, as well as talking about different aspects of automail. “About Ling?” she asked. 

Greed glanced at her, a frown tugging at the corner of his mouth. “What the hell are you talking about?” 

Winry raised her hands in surrender. “I didn’t mean anything by it. You just seem quiet.” And it wasn’t very often that Greed was  _ quiet. _

“It’s nothing,” he said. 

Winry sighed, but didn’t push it. It was none of her business, and she wasn’t very close with either one of them. Besides, right now, she should be more interested in helping Lan Fan. 

She walked over and sat down next to Paninya, ready to answer any questions that Lan Fan might have about automail. 

* * *

“You’re really not going to come back to Xing?” Mei asked as they walked down the sidewalk. 

Ling shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.” He just… wasn’t loyal to them anymore. He had no reason to be. And from the sound of it, he hadn’t exactly been a well liked individual. Did he really want to put up with assassination attempts every day? He was dodging death enough as it was. “At least not right now. Maybe I will, someday. After all of this… you know, gets a little less crazy.” 

She frowned. “I heard what happened to Lan Fan. I’m sorry.” 

He sighed. “Yeah… She’ll be okay, though.” 

Mei shoved her hands in her pockets. “I’m just glad you got that demon out of you. He end up as someone’s familiar?” 

“Er…” Ling rubbed the back of his neck. “Actually, he’s uh, he’s my familiar.” 

“Oh my god.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Oh my  _ fucking _ god. Is that why you won’t come back? You like that damn demon too much, don’t you?” 

“No!” He waved his hands. “That’s not it! Well… I guess it might be part of it, but he’s definitely not the only reason.” 

She raised an eyebrow. “Mmhm.” 

“They miss you around Amestris, too, you know,” he said. “Well,  _ Al _ misses you.” 

“Oh.” A faint blush spread across her cheeks. “He does, does he? Do you… do you know what he said?” 

He shook his head. “Sorry, no idea. Ed just told me to let you know.” 

“Oh…” She sighed. “Alright, I’ll try and stop by sometime soon. I guess it has been a whi—” She froze. “Ling, get behind me!” She whipped out a pair of kunai, settling into a fighting stance. 

“What do you—” The words died away as an awful presence washed over him. 

Worse than Envy, worse than Lust, worse than  _ Wrath.  _

The last thing he saw were the shadows beginning to move. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Paninya is adorable I love her so much 
> 
> Also, Ling, Greed, and Lan Fan all blaming themselves instead of Wrath is so sad it's almost hilarious


	22. Step Twenty-Two: experience the horrible feelings of not knowing if they're okay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Jesus I am so sorry for how long this took, but it has been.... a month. My /wonderful/ job decided to schedule me for six weeks straight without a single day off, I worked three, and then told them I needed time off or I was gonna start having mental breakdowns in the hallway, so I got one day off a week just in time for final projects/exams for school to be due, and, to top it all off, I managed to break my tooth and chip another one (separate occasions, fucking SOMEHOW), but aaaaaanyways, school is done, my teeth are (mostly) taken care of, and I can actually start engaging in my hobbies again, so fuck yeah

The first warning was a strange feeling in his chest. It was subtle at first, just a twinging in his magic. He frowned, and held his hand to his chest, trying to figure out what the hell that was. 

“Greed?” Lan Fan asked, her eyebrows pinching together. 

“Huh?” 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Don’t know,” he admitted, not liking the shivers shooting down his spine. It reminded him a little of the feeling he got when one of his siblings came up behind him. 

Lan Fan frowned, and began glancing over her own shoulder. “Maybe we should have waited on Winry before leaving.” 

Greed grimaced, the feeling of dread only getting worse. Damn, he wished he was better at sensing magic and demons. Was there someone nearby that he just couldn’t pin down? 

Lan Fan’s back stiffened. “Feels like the other Seven, kind of like Wrath, but… but  _ worse.” _ She slipped her hand into her pocket, and Greed knew she was grabbing for one of her knives. 

Greed froze. Worse than Wrath? He knew Lan Fan was better at sensing shit than him, and if she thought that—  _ Fuck! _ “Pride.” 

“What?”

“My brother,” he said. 

Lan Fan opened her mouth to say something, but Greed gasped, clutching at his chest as he felt an almost  _ painful _ yank on his magic. 

_ Not _ his magic. “Ling!” 

Lan Fan’s eyes widened. “What about Ling?” 

He grit his teeth. This had something to do with that familiar bond, didn’t it? That, and Pride being nearby… “Where’s Ling?” 

“I don’t know!” Lan Fan exclaimed. “He was meeting with Mei! I don’t—I don’t know! Tell me what’s wrong!” 

“I don’t know!” he couldn’t help but snap, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling that was only growing worse. “Something!” 

“Can’t you find him?” she asked, before grabbing the collar of his shirt and tugging him down to her eye level. “You’re freaking me out! Is Ling  _ okay!?”  _

“How the hell am I supposed to find him?” he asked. 

Lan Fan shook him. “You’re his familiar, aren’t you!?” she shrieked, voice shrill and panicked. “Don’t you have like, some weird homing beacon you can use to track him down?” 

“What?” he demanded. “The hell does that even mean?” He was still trying to understand what was going on with his magic, let alone trying to use the familiar bond to find Ling. 

Lan Fan let go of him, and fumbled to get her cell phone out of her pocket. “I forgot, I can track his phone.” 

“What the hell, why?” he asked. 

“Look, it was that or microchip him!” she shouted. “I get concerned, okay!? Let’s just hurry up and go.” 

* * *

Mei wasn’t stupid. She knew she couldn’t hold her own against a monster like Pride by herself. It was all she could do to keep from being sliced to ribbons by his shadows, her blades sparking as they just barely blocked the attacks. 

Ling clutched his own sword, but he wasn’t quick enough to keep the shadows from wrapping around him. “Mei!” 

She froze, just long enough for shadows to wrap around her, brushing their sharp edges against her throat. 

“Why don’t you run, little witch?” Pride asked as he stepped forward. “This has nothing to do with you.” 

She hissed and writhed, trying to escape the shadows. One wrapped around her foot, yanking her leg out from under her. She hit the ground with a little  _ oof, _ and tried to ignore the way her head cracked against the concrete, but the world began to spin, and she lost her grip on her knife. God, she wanted to punt that little brat of a demon.

A glowing blade sliced through the shadows, and Ling heaved her to her feet. “Are you okay?” he asked. 

She shook her head. “We need to get out of here, we can’t fight him! We won't win.” Pride was a demon in every sense of the word, the worst of the worst, so awful even the other Seven were wary of him. They needed to get the  _ hell _ away from him. 

A shadow sliced into Ling’s shoulder while he was distracted, and he gasped, instinctively trying to hold the wound closed with his hand. Blood poured from between his fingers. 

“Well I guess that proves it,” Pride said. “It’s not healing.” 

_ This has nothing to do with you. _

Mei shuddered. Pride was here for  _ Ling. _ Or actually, he was here for  _ Greed, _ but Ling was just the easiest way to get to him. 

“He really gave you your body back.” The demon snickered. “Don’t tell me the moron really became a familiar?” 

“Ling, you have to get out of here,” Mei said. “I can hold him back while you run.” She pulled out another kunai. 

“I’m not gonna leave you!” he argued. 

Mei grit her teeth and shoved Ling behind her. “Right now, I’m the better fighter, and without Greed, you can’t just get  _ stabbed! _ You’ve gotten used to using your own body as a shield and you can’t do that anymore! He’s after  _ you!”  _ Sure, Ling might technically be her older brother, but Mei knew she was the best one to handle this. Even if he had been a stronger witch than her before he lost his memories, that wasn’t the case anymore. 

Pride looked her up and down, and had the  _ audacity _ to almost look  _ bored. _

Ling still refused to run. “I’m  _ not _ leaving you.” 

* * *

Ling honestly couldn’t believe that Mei expected him to run and leave her to fight one of the Seven on her own. One of the Seven that she had  _ admitted _ she couldn’t beat! 

He forced himself to ignore the pain in his shoulder, the blood trickling down his arm. At least it had been a shallow cut, just a flesh wound, but if he sustained many more injuries like that, then blood loss would become an issue. 

Mei was right. He’d almost forgotten what it was like to worry about that. 

The shadows surged again, and Ling and Mei just barely managed to leap out of the way, narrowly avoiding getting shredded into little pieces. 

“Think about it!” Mei shouted. “He’s pissed! It’s because of you and Greed that Lust and Wrath are  _ dead!”  _

Ling froze. He hadn’t even  _ thought _ about that. Greed had told Amestris how to kill the Seven, and Greed had only gotten involved with Amestris because of him. 

Shadows pooled around them, menacing purple eyes snapping open and shining teeth appearing. Ling yelped and forced himself up, scrambling backwards. 

The teeth snapped, and Mei shoved him out of the way. He heard the terrifying  _ click _ of them smashing together, far too close for comfort. 

“Come on, witch,” Pride said. “Tell me where I can find my wayward little brother, and I’ll make your death as painless as possible.” 

God, no wonder Greed was so messed up in the head. Each new sibling that Ling met was worse than the last! 

Ling gripped his sword tighter, doing his best to force his magic to build.  _ Why _ couldn’t he be better at controlling it? He swung the blade, slicing through another mass of shadows. 

Mei launched a kunai towards Pride, and it sank into his forehead, snapping his head backwards. Pride growled, and pulled the blade out, leaving a little trickle of blood to drip down his face. “You little bitch, you should have run when you had the chance.” 

Mei’s eyes widened, fear crawling across her face, not that Ling could blame her. It was all he could do to keep his hands from shaking. 

He had no idea how they were going to get out of this one. Mei had said it herself. They couldn’t win against Pride in a fight, and no one even knew they were  _ fighting him.  _ No backup was coming. 

“Ling! Mei! Get down!” 

Mei grabbed Ling and shoved him to the ground, just in time for another little glowing knife to sink into Pride’s chest. 

Ling pushed himself up on his elbows, glancing over his shoulder to see Lan Fan standing on the other side of the sidewalk, chest heaving and another knife already in hand. 

“Lan Fan, get out of here!” Ling shouted. She was in no condition to be fighting! Especially not someone like Pride! She was still  _ hurt!  _

“Not without you!” she argued. “And I called Winry and Ed! More help should be on the way!” 

Pride ripped the knife out of his chest and flung it to the ground. “Fucking witches. Get the hell out of my—” 

His eyes widened as a hand was shoved through his chest. 

“Don’t touch  _ my witch,” _ Greed snarled, before ripping his hand out of his brother’s chest, leaving him to fall to his knees, gasping, as the wound worked to regenerate itself.

Ling stumbled to his feet. “Mei, get Lan Fan out of here.” 

“But—” she began. 

_ “Please!” _ he pleaded. Ling didn’t know what he would do if something else happened to her, and despite what she seemed to believe, she  _ couldn’t handle this. _

Mei stared at him with wide eyes, but nodded, and sprinted towards Lan Fan. 

“You  _ betrayed _ us,” Pride hissed at Greed. “This is all  _ your fault!”  _

Greed bared his teeth. “Maybe if you bastards had left me the hell alone this wouldn’t have happened.” 

Ling took a step towards them. He wasn’t going to let Greed fight his brother alone. 

“Stay back, Ling,” Greed said as he approached. 

“No!” He raised his sword. “I won’t!” 

Greed almost looked  _ pained. _ “You’re already hurt, and I don’t wanna see that, so stay  _ back.”  _

Pride’s eyes flicked between them, an unsettling smile beginning to curl his lips. “You didn’t just cave to witch authority out of cowardice, did you?” 

_ “Ling!”  _

The shadows moved so quickly he couldn’t even  _ see _ them, and the horrifying realization that Pride had just been toying with him and Mei came over him. He thought he might have heard Lan Fan and Mei screaming, he  _ definitely _ heard Greed shout his name again, his voice cracking. 

He didn’t feel it. Maybe because it was so sudden, maybe because everything was happening too fast for him to process, but before he even realized what had happened, there were shadows buried in his chest, and he was choking on his own blood. 


	23. Step Twenty-Three: sacrifice yourself for them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was fuuuuuun

Blood. 

Their deaths were so bloody. 

He would never forget the way they were torn apart, the viscera and gore everywhere. 

Greed had sworn to himself that not a single possession of his would ever be taken in such an awful way again. 

Lan Fan and Mei’s screaming was garbled, like he was hearing it through static. He barely noticed Pride’s disdainful gaze, his bored sigh, as he turned back to Greed, a small smirk beginning to form. “Oh, what’s that look for, Greed?” 

“Ling…” he rasped, unable to tear his gaze away from the nightmare unfolding in front of him, even if it was the last thing he  _ ever _ wanted to see again. 

_ Again. _

It was happening  _ again. _

Pride’s shadows slashed through Ling’s chest, tearing deep gouges.  _ Too deep. _ Blood poured from the wounds, staining him red. His wide, confused eyes met Greed’s, panic swimming in his gaze, before he collapsed. 

_ “Ling!”  _ Mei sobbed, sprinting towards him and flinging her kunai into the ground around him. 

Lan Fan threw another knife at Pride with a cry of rage, with tears already streaming down her cheeks. 

Pride ignored the knife, even as it sank into his shoulder. “Oh… Don’t tell me it was that easy,” he said. He took a step towards Greed. “At least before they were your demons.” He shook his head with a sigh. “You really are always getting attached to the most useless things.” 

Greed stumbled back a step, awful, confusing feelings flooding through him. He should be angry, not… not  _ terrified. _

Terrified because Ling wasn’t moving. Because that puddle of red around him was way too big. Because Mei was crying and  _ begging _ her magic to work. 

Because Ling was  _ dying, _ and Greed was going to  _ lose him. _ Lose someone who was more than just a possession, someone he  _ cared _ about. 

The feelings and realizations scared him almost as much as Ling’s choked breathing. 

“Oh well.” Pride turned his palms up. “We decided to kill you for good this time. You can join your pathetic little witch in Hell.” The shadows swirled again. 

“Greed!” Lan Fan shouted.  _ “Move!”  _

_ He’s dying and it’s my fault. He’s going to  _ die. 

He could already feel his connection to Ling’s magic fading, his own body growing weaker as a result. 

Pride’s shadows sliced through him, but he barely noticed. The pain didn’t register, and he ignored the blood dripping down his body. 

“Greed, you can’t just stand there!” Mei shouted as she pressed her hands to Ling’s chest, trying to hold the gaping tears together so her magic could knit them back up.  _ “Fight!  _ He needs all the magic power he can get right now, don’t waste it!” 

Pride rolled his eyes. “Humans really don’t have a scrap of dignity, do they?” He ripped his shadows out of Greed. “They never know when they’re beaten.” 

Lan Fan threw another knife towards Pride, and it sank right into his eye. He screeched and jerked backwards, ripping the blade out. 

While he was distracted, she dashed forward, and grabbed the collar of Greed’s shirt. “Don’t you dare just stand there!” she screamed. “He  _ needs _ you and whatever magic you can give him right now! Don’t you fucking  _ dare!”  _

He stared at her, taking in the tears and snot dripping down her face, the desperation in her voice, the sincerity in her eyes. 

“Mei is right!” she said. “Fight! I can’t lose him! I can’t lose you! I’m not going to watch you both die today!” 

_ I can’t lose you!  _

Lan Fan didn’t want him to die? She… She  _ cared _ about him? Greed knew Ling liked him, but he never imagined Lan Fan actually did, even if Ling swore up and down that she did. 

“Get out of the way!” Pride roared, knocking her aside with a wave of shadows. 

Lan Fan cried out as she landed on her still tender wounds. 

“Don’t touch her,” he said quietly. 

_ “What _ was that?” Pride hissed. 

Greed summoned his shield. “I said,  _ don’t touch her!”  _ He grabbed Pride’s head, and shoved him down against the pavement, digging his claws into his skull, relishing in the way he screamed as his bones began to crack and splinter. He ripped his claws out, before stomping down on Pride, shattering his skull and smashing his brain. 

A wound like that would take at least a minute to regenerate from. 

He had a  _ minute. _

He knew he couldn’t kill Pride. He had no holy magic, and even if he did, he knew he didn’t stand a chance against him. 

But maybe that minute would be enough to help Ling, and then at least when Pride killed him, he would know Ling might be okay.

He sprinted towards Ling, and fell to his knees next to Mei. 

“I can’t—” She bit back a sob. “I’m not fast enough. He’s losing too much blood.” 

Greed couldn’t bring himself to look at the wounds, even as Mei did her best to fix them. Ling’s breathing was rough and uneven, and more blood dribbled down his chin with each pathetic, wheezing breath he managed. “Hey,” he managed to say. “I’m gonna try something, okay?” 

Ling’s eyes flickered open. “Greed…?” 

“Yeah.” Gently, he pulled Ling closer, holding him as tight as he dared. “Thanks,” he said. “For everything.” 

“Huh?” he coughed. 

He could sense the shadows moving again, and he knew Pride wouldn’t be down much longer. “Mei, get ready to grab him and run, and make sure Lan Fan goes with you.” 

Realization washed over her features, and she set her jaw. “I will.” 

Ling’s fingers twitched as he tried to grab for Greed, but he couldn’t get his body to do much more than that. “What are you—” He coughed up another mouthful of blood. “No…” He weakly shook his head. “Don’t—Don’t—” 

Greed grimaced. Apparently Mei wasn’t the only one who had figured out what he was planning. “Don’t give me that look.” He placed one hand on Ling’s chest, careful of the wounds. “Finally got something I wanted. Sucks I couldn’t enjoy it a little longer though.” 

Tears cut lines in the blood covering Ling’s face, but Greed told himself it was just because of the pain. 

“I’m not losing my friends again,” he said. 

Ling managed to grab his wrist and shake his head, the last plea he could manage. 

Greed ignored him, and called on his magic. 

He didn’t know what all a familiar bond was capable of. They hadn’t really gotten the chance to get it figured out, but he was smart enough to know that witches and their demons could share magic. All he had to do was give Ling just enough of his healing abilities, heal the goddamn stab wounds he kept getting one more time. 

And then he could distract Pride long enough for Mei and Lan Fan to get him out of here. Hell, maybe Pride wouldn’t even bother with them at all after he got Greed. 

He hoped so. 

He felt a tug on his magic, felt the wounds beneath his hand start to shrink, and he couldn’t help but sigh in relief. 

“How fucking  _ pitiful,” _ Pride snarled. 

Greed grit his teeth, wishing he’d had just a few more seconds, but he had to hope he’d fixed enough of the damage that Mei could finish healing him, or at the least keep Ling alive until they got back to Amestris. 

He shoved Ling into Mei’s arms. “Get him out of here.” 

“Wait,  _ no—” _ Ling reached out for him. 

“Lan Fan! Help Mei!” he shouted as he forced himself back to his feet, still too weak to put up much of a real fight against Pride. 

But it would be enough. It  _ had _ to be enough. 

Lan Fan sprinted over and helped brace Ling against Mei as she got to her feet. “Thank you,” she said. “I’m… I’m sorry.” 

“Eh…” He turned away from them, unable to stand Ling’s sad face, listen to his weak protests. “It’s fine. This was probably gonna happen sooner or later.” 

He turned his attention to Pride, and summoned his shield. It barely covered his hands, but he hadn’t expected much more than that. Not with his own powers still as weak as they were, and Ling losing every bit of magic he had at the moment. 

_ “Greed!”  _ Ling shouted. 

“Sorry,” he muttered. 

* * *

Ling did his best to struggle against Lan Fan and Mei, but he could barely get his body to  _ move, _ much less put up a fight. 

This couldn’t be happening. He never thought…. He never thought Greed might die. He never thought he would care  _ so much. _

But he did! He didn’t want to lose him! He  _ couldn’t _ lose him! 

“Ling, stop squirming, or you’re going to undo anything Greed and I managed to do for you,” Mei said, her voice irritatingly calm. 

“No,” he panted. “No! I’m not  _ leaving _ him!” Greed wasn’t going to last a  _ minute _ against Pride! Not in that condition! “Lan Fan!” he pleaded. He  _ knew _ she cared about him. He may not be able to convince Mei, but maybe he could convince her. 

She bit her lip, and refused to look at him. “He knows what he’s doing,” she said. "He... He's giving us a chance, okay?" 

“I don’t  _ care—” _ He broke off into a coughing fit, wincing at the blood bubbling up his throat. 

“I’m sorry, Ling.” Mei pressed her hand against his forehead, and everything went black. 

* * *

Greed’s healing ability was shot, but he wasn’t surprised. He just hoped Mei and Lan Fan had managed to get Ling far enough away that Pride didn’t think it was worth it to go after them. 

It  _ was _ kind of pathetic, though. Laying on his back, in a pool of his own blood, his vision going in and out at the corners as Pride’s shadows tore into him. 

At least his friends had gotten away. 

_ Friends… _ He thought he might have smiled. Ling would probably be ecstatic if Greed called him a friend. Lan Fan would turn her nose up and scoff, but she would smile. 

Bright light blazed, and the shadows crumbled away. Voices clashed, screaming and shouting that just sounded like a buzzing in his head as everything went dark. 


	24. Step Twenty-Four: finally have that goddamn heart to heart

“If you don’t stop pacing, I’m going to kick you out,” Winry said without looking up. 

Ed opened his mouth to complain, but Mei snapped, “Ed, she’s right. Don’t you dare start arguing. We need to concentrate.” 

Lan Fan grit her teeth, desperately trying to tune them out. She dug her hand into her hair, wincing at the still wet blood that clung to her skin. 

Ling and Greed were alive,  _ barely, _ but there was still no guarantee that they were going to pull through. 

But at least they’d gotten away from Pride. At least they had done that. If she hadn’t called Winry and Ed beforehand, she didn’t even want to imagine what would have happened if Ed hadn’t showed up with backup from Amestris. 

Of course, Pride had escaped, he was still out there, but at least they had escaped. Amestris had held him off, with enough force that he gave up on trying to kill Greed, and not a minute too soon. 

If Lan Fan thought Ling’s wounds had been awful, she couldn’t even begin to describe Greed’s when they dragged him back. He looked like  _ mincemeat. _ And he wasn’t healing. 

Thanks to Greed and Mei’s impromptu healing, Ling was relatively stable for the moment, so Winry and Mei were putting most of their focus on Greed. 

“Lan Fan, you don’t have to be here,” Winry said. “You really don’t.” 

She shook her head. “I—I don’t—” She took a shuddering breath. 

“Okay, okay. You don’t have to leave either,” Winry said. 

Lan Fan nodded. “Thank you.” 

* * *

Riza thumped her head against the wall. 

Havoc offered her a cigarette. “Want one?” 

“I don’t smoke,” she said. 

He shrugged. “Not like it would kill you.” Then he sighed, and lit his own cigarette. 

“We weren’t ready for Pride,” she said. “We were idiots to think we stood a chance against them.” The Seven were  _ monsters.  _ Sure, they’d managed to take down Wrath and Lust, but that was sheer dumb luck, honestly. They didn’t stand a chance against a demon like Pride. 

Havoc ran his hand down his face. “Yeah.” 

“And those kids are the ones who paid the price.” She felt  _ awful. _ They’d angered the wrong demons. And Lan Fan had lost a limb because of it, and now Ling was on the brink of death. 

She was surprised that Ed wasn’t trying to kill all of them, considering he swore he  _ would _ kill them if anything happened to his roommate. 

“Did Greed seriously give himself up to give them a shot?” Havoc asked. 

Riza grimaced. “Sure looked that way.” She was one of the first ones on the scene, and she’d seen some awful things, but Greed’s insides spilling onto the sidewalk was pretty high up there, considering he was still alive and could obviously still feel every awful thing Pride did to him. “Lan Fan said as much.” Even if most of her story was unintelligible, not that Riza could blame her, considering what was going on. After Mei was finished treating them, she was going to have to give them specific details of what had happened. 

“Damn.” Havoc flicked his ashes into the floor, and Riza didn’t have it in her to scold him. “Never would have thought.” 

“I would give myself up for Mustang,” she said. It wasn’t unheard of for familiars to have that kind of loyalty. 

Havoc sniffed. “Yeah, and you’ve been together how long now? I’d do a lot for Fuery. Not sure if I’d let Pride rip my skin from my bones for him, though.” 

Riza knew that wasn’t necessarily true, but she decided not to point that out. 

“If they pull through, they’re gonna have a lot to deal with,” he said. 

Riza hummed. 

* * *

Ling had been in a lot of pain since this had all started. He’d been stabbed, shot, beat, just about everything. But this was a different type of pain. His chest felt like it had been torn to pieces. 

He jerked up, then cried out as that only made the pain  _ worse. _

_ Greed!  _

“Ling!” Lan Fan ran over and gently laid him back down. “Ling, oh my  _ god!” _ Tears built in her eyes. “I thought you were gonna  _ die!”  _

She looked  _ awful. _ Her hair was greasy and stringy, and wasn’t pulled up, and she  _ never _ let her hair down. Dark circles were smudged beneath her eyes, she obviously hadn’t slept since god knew when. 

“You—You—” She grabbed his shoulder and hung her head. “I don’t know what I would do if you died.” 

“H-Hey,” he said. “Come on. It wasn’t that bad.” 

“Ling…” Her hand hovered over his chest. “If we didn’t have magic, you were… You were gonna  _ die. _ Even then, we didn’t know if you were going to make it.” She let out a breath. “You were choking on your own blood, your lungs were punctured in multiple places, you’re beyond lucky that Pride didn’t hit your heart. You’ve been unconscious for three days.” 

He risked and glanced down at his chest, before wincing at the thick bandages wrapped around him, blood soaking through them, probably thanks to his sudden movement. “Oh…” Sure, he remembered everything that happened, and yeah, he’d definitely thought it was over there for a minute, but it was different when it was actually happening, and then looking back on it. 

He’d almost  _ died. _

“Lan Fan…” He looked away, terrified of the answer. “What about Greed?” 

She sat down on the bed next to him. “He’s… Amestris got him out of there, but—” 

“Oh god,” he choked, trying to blink back tears. 

“Ling, Ling, hey.” Lan Fan grabbed his wrist. “Calm down. He was in rough shape, but we think he’s going to be okay. Although… he did hear me admit I liked him, so I might have to finish the job.” 

Ling stared at her, trying to work through what she had just said. “He’s… He’s alive?” 

She nodded. “Yeah. Honestly, because of the familiar bond, it mostly depended on if  _ you _ made it. Now that you’re stable, we think he’s going to be okay.”

Relief flooded through him, and he hadn’t realized how tense and worried he was. “Where is he?” he asked, glancing around, realizing he was in the infirmary. 

“Next room over,” Lan Fan said. “He’s still unconscious, though. That… disaster drained both of you.” She sighed, and ran her hand down her face. 

“He really… he was gonna  _ die, _ for  _ me,” _ he muttered.  _ Why? _ Did he really think that was  _ okay? _ What was Ling supposed to do without him? 

Lan Fan gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “He’ll be okay.” 

“But he still—”

“He wanted to protect you, and me,” she interrupted. “And Mei.”

“Not sure about Mei,” he couldn’t help but say. “They kind of hate each other.” 

Lan Fan rolled her eyes. “He wanted to keep you  _ safe. _ And I… I’m glad he did. I didn’t want him to die either, but he…” 

Ling forced himself up, biting back a groan as the pain intensified. 

“Ling!” Lan Fan protested. 

He waved her off, before wincing and pressing his hand against his chest. God, he missed healing in less than a minute. “I’m gonna go see him.” 

She sighed. “At least let me help you.” She wrapped her arm around his waist, supporting as much of his weight as she could manage. 

“You’re still hurt, too,” he said. 

She snorted. “Not as bad you, you dumbass. At least  _ I’m _ not still bleeding.” 

Ling pulled his hand away from his chest, frowning at the blood coating his hand, and yeah, that was fair. 

“Winry and Mei say it’s going to scar pretty bad,” she said. “Apparently there was residue from Pride’s shadows in them, and healing magic didn’t work very well.” 

He hummed, but couldn’t say he was surprised, given the extent of the damage. 

“That was stupid,” she said as they stumbled towards the door. “He told you to get out of there and you didn’t listen.” 

“I couldn’t just leave him to fight by himself,” he said, turning away from her and letting his hair fall into his face. 

She glared at him. “He’s a bit more durable than you, you know.” 

“But I  _ care _ about him!” he argued. “You wouldn’t just leave me, would you?” 

“No…” she admitted. “But I still think it was stupid.” 

He snorted. “Whatever you say, Lan Fan.” He knew she was just worried, and how protective she was. If it had only been her there, he didn’t think she would have left Greed. She just wanted to protect him. 

Lan Fan helped him stagger to the next room over, where Greed was sprawled over one of the beds, covered in even more bandages than Ling. 

“Winry said his healing abilities kicked back in a couple hours ago, but with nowhere near the speed they normally have,” Lan Fan said. “So he’s gonna be in pretty rough shape for a while.” 

Greed cracked an eye open. “Yeah, hurts like a fucking bitch.” 

Ling wasn’t entirely sure what came over him, but something about hearing that  _ stupid _ cocky voice after he’d tried to sacrifice himself, made him  _ snap. _ He stumbled over to Greed, and punched him. 

_ “Ling!”  _ Lan Fan exclaimed. 

_ “Ow! _ What the  _ fuck?” _ Greed demanded, reaching up to rub at his cheek. 

Ling ignored the cuts on his face, the thick bandages littering his chest and arms, the obvious pain he was in. “What the hell were you thinking!?” he demanded. 

Greed blinked, surprised. 

“Ling, maybe you should—” Lan Fan began. 

He ignored her. “You thought it was just okay for you to sacrifice yourself like that? To just fucking  _ die!?” _ He leaned forward, but stumbled and fell on top of Greed, causing them both to wince as their wounds were aggravated, but Ling didn’t care. He pushed himself up, his arms braced on either side of Greed’s head. “You think I would just be  _ okay _ with that!?” 

Greed stared at him. 

_ “Well?” _ he demanded. “Aren’t you gonna say something?” He  _ hated _ when Greed got quiet. 

“I didn’t want to lose you,” he finally said. “It was you or me. And it sure as hell wasn’t gonna be  _ you.” _

Ling narrowed his eyes. “And what about after, huh? What was I supposed to do  _ after? _ Without  _ you?” _

Greed scoffed and turned his head away. “You were fine before all of this. You don’t need me.” 

God, he was so  _ stupid. _ Well if he was really going to be this dense, then Ling would just have to phrase it in a way that might actually make it through his thick skull. “Yeah, maybe I don’t  _ need _ you, but I  _ want _ you. You understand that, right? You’re my familiar.  _ Mine.” _

“I’m not anybody’s!” he argued. “You’re mine!” 

Ling grit his teeth. “Fine, fine. Yes, I’m yours. But think about how you felt when you thought I was gonna die? You think I want to feel that way about you?” 

“I—” he began, before cutting himself off with a huff. 

Ling groaned and let himself collapse on top of Greed again. “Are you still really not getting it?” 

“That hurts,” he muttered. 

“Yeah, I hurt, too,” he said. “You’re not special.” 

“Shut up, I am, too,” Greed said. 

Ling snorted, but reluctantly pushed himself up again. “I’m still pissed at you.” 

“Oh, so I save your life and you get pissed?” he asked. “This caring about people thing is bullshit.” 

Ling grinned. “You admitted you cared about me. With actual words.” It was all he’d wanted Greed to do for a while now. Being protective, wanting to become his familiar, he appreciated it, more than he could really say, but he just wanted Greed to  _ say _ that he cared about them. “Well, I care about you, too. Which is why I don’t want you to  _ die.” _

Gently, Greed reached up to cup Ling’s cheek. “I was  _ protecting _ you.” 

“Yeah, I know.” He leaned into the touch. “We keep doing stupid shit like that instead of just fighting together.” He sighed. “Just never do something like that again, alright?” 

“Fine.” Greed let his hand fall. “As long as you quit almost dying every time you go out.” 

“I’ll do my best,” he said. 

Greed shook his head. “Not good enough. That’s what you’ve been doing  _ now. _ You’re never going anywhere without me again.” 

Ling almost told him no, mostly in a teasing way, but then he realized that Greed was  _ serious. _ He was worried, and freaked out, and he didn’t want to lose him, and he was desperate enough that he didn’t want to let Ling out of his sight. “Yeah, okay. I won’t go anywhere alone until all of this is dealt with.” 

He knew he was an easy target, especially with how little experience he had with his own magic, and now, the remaining Seven knew that he was a good way to get at Greed. It was only going to get more dangerous for him. He wasn’t going to be safe until the rest of them were dead. “I promise.” 

Greed let out a breath of relief. “Good. Because I’m  _ not _ losing you.” 

Careful of his injuries, Ling gave him a soft hug, burying his face in the crook of his neck. “I’m not losing you either. I heard what you told Lan Fan and Mei, about how you figured they were going to kill you eventually anyways, and I’m  _ not _ letting that happen. I don’t know what I would do without you.” 

Greed ran his hand through Ling’s hair, careful of snagging his fingers in the tangles. “Yeah, guess I can understand how that’d feel now…” 

Ling pulled back. “Yeah, looks like you’re stuck with me.” 

Greed stared at him, something unreadable in his eyes. He forced himself to sit up, clutching at his side, before he held Ling’s face again. “Feel free to punch me again if you want.” 

“Wha—” 

Greed leaned forward, and pressed his lips against Ling’s. 

Ling froze, not expecting that at  _ all, _ but it was a pleasant surprise. As soon as he realized what was happening, he leaned into the kiss. 

It was rough, and all teeth, not that Ling should have expected anything else from Greed. He  _ was _ a demon, after all. And the literal incarnation of Greed at that. Gentleness was not something he was known for. 

Not that Ling minded. 

“It’s about  _ damn _ time!” 

Ling jerked backwards with a yelp, to see Ed grinning at him from the doorway. 

“Beat it, half-pint!” Greed shouted. 

“You—You—” Lan Fan sputtered, and  _ fuck, _ Ling had forgotten she was standing there! He wondered which of them she was going to kill first. 

“You let me tell you I was a lesbian, but you never told me you liked guys!” she finally shouted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everyone has been so sweet and supportive of this fic, and I'm kinda sad that the last chapter is almost here, but I'm glad everyone enjoyed it so much!


	25. Step Twenty-Five: and now you have friends

“We’ve got everything ready to do the surgery as soon as you’re ready,” Winry said. “We just have to pick a date.” 

Lan Fan rubbed her shoulder, offering her a small smile. “Thanks, Winry.” 

Paninya bounced around the counter. “The design we finalized for you is  _ so cool!” _ she exclaimed as she punched her fist into the air. “There’s a  _ blade _ hidden in it!” 

“Great, so she can stab me whenever she feels like it,” Greed said. 

Ling elbowed him, gently, careful of his still tender wounds. “She could do that anyways.” Lan Fan always had at least one knife hidden on her at all times now anyways, not to mention all the hand to hand techniques she knew  _ somewhere _ in her head. She was a deadly individual, if they were being honest with themselves. 

Greed snorted. 

“He’s right,” Lan Fan said, leveling him with a cool glare. “I have knives hidden in my boots  _ specifically _ to stab you.” 

“Now, now, Lan Fan.” Winry turned away from whatever she was frying in her skillet, holding the spatula out towards her. “You wouldn’t do anything  _ too _ mean to Ling’s  _ boyfriend.” _ She smirked at them. 

Lan Fan slumped against the counter. “Please don’t remind me.” 

“Hey, you’re not even allowed to bitch that much,” Ed said as he joined them in the kitchen. “At least you guys didn’t try to kill each other once!” 

“I don’t remember that,” Greed said. Then he grinned. “But you’re so obnoxious I could see why I would try.” 

Ed flipped him off. “You’re one to talk.” 

“Be nice,” Winry scolded, turning her attention back to what she was cooking. “Or I won’t share the chicken and mushrooms.” 

“Oooooooo, chicken and mushrooms?” Paninya leaned over Winry’s shoulder. “Hell yes!” 

Ling leaned against Greed, trying to hide a wince as he aggravated his own wounds. It’d been three days since he’d woken up, six since Pride’s attack, and while their injuries were healing faster than a normal person’s thanks to magic, it was still an irritatingly slow process. It hurt, the stitches were itchy, he couldn’t do anything. 

But they got to come back to their dingy little apartment today, and Winry had come over to cook for everyone, wanting to have a nice dinner to celebrate… well, not being dead. Al and Mei had been invited as well, but evidently were out doing something themselves. 

“You good?” Greed asked, having noticed his slight discomfort. 

Ling nodded. “Fine.” It was no worse than it was at any other time. 

“You better not be pulling stitches again,” Winry said. “I’ll call Mei. Do you want me to call Mei?” 

Ling grimaced. He never wanted to live through Mei shouting at him like she had after he woke up ever again. She’d been  _ pissed. _ He knew it came from how much she cared about him, but it had still been a terrifying experience. “Please don’t.” 

“Oh she’s out with Al tonight doing something, doubt she would answer anyways,” Ed said with a sigh. “God, what is with you people, why can’t you just ask each other out? They both clearly like each other.” 

Winry gave him a  _ look. _ “Again, Ed, you have no fucking room to talk.” 

Ed scrambled to pull together some kind of defense, but it didn’t look like he was going to manage it. Finally, he said, “At least I asked you out before we were both dying in the streets.” He glanced to Ling and Greed. 

“Wha— It was kind of romantic!” Ling argued. He crossed his arms. “And technically it was after we  _ survived _ almost dying in the streets.” 

“It was not romantic,” Lan Fan said. “I watched the whole thing, and it most definitely was not.” She rolled her eyes. “It was awkward and messy and honestly I don’t think either of you could have done any better.” 

“I’d just had my insides torn out, lay off!” Greed slung his arm over Ling’s shoulders. 

“Well at least you got there eventually!” Paninya said. “Though to be honest… I thought you were dating before that, from what Winry told me. You both seemed very close.” 

Ling wasn’t quite sure how to reply to that, so he settled for turning everyone’s attention back to dinner. “Winry, when’s that stuff gonna be done?” 

* * *

“Is your girl really okay with this?” Greed asked. It'd been bothering him the past couple days, and now that they were out on the roof, away from everyone else for a while, he figured he might as well get it over with and ask. 

Ling snorted. “Lan Fan would make it extremely clear if she wasn’t. Trust me, you would know. She’s only threatened to kill you… what, five times now? I think that’s actually less times than normal.” He leaned his head against Greed’s shoulder. “That, and I think she’s sparing us because we already got that awful talk from Hawkeye.” 

Greed ran his hand down his face. “Do not remind me.” The crazy gun lady had had a very fun conversation with them about making sure not to let anyone know they were a thing, even though they still weren’t technically completely aligned with Amestris, just to be on the safe side. That was also how they learned that she and the damned fire witch had been together for god knew how long, not that it really surprised Greed, if he was being honest. 

That being said, there was already a good chunk of people who knew. 

“That, and as soon as Mei finds out we’re both fucked,” Ling laughed. 

Greed had no idea how he was going to convince Ling’s kid sister to like him. He was seriously considering just giving up on that front. They hadn’t told her yet, deciding to wait until everything had calmed down, but he wouldn’t be surprised if she ended up figuring it out on her own. 

“She still wants me to get my memories back…” he said quietly. 

Greed glanced at him. “Still not made your mind up about that?” 

Ling sighed, and leaned back, putting his weight on his hands, staring at the city’s skyline. “No… It’s—It’s just a lot. I like everything the way it is now.” 

“Even with my stupid siblings trying to gut you?” Greed asked. 

He shrugged. “It’s your siblings or assassins, so honestly, I don’t think it really matters.” 

Greed hummed. 

“We’ll deal with them,” Ling said. “Together, alright? You have friends now. You don’t have to handle them alone.” 

“Yeah, I know.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who read this fic and left so many kind comments! I had a fun time writing it, and I never expected so many people to like it so much. 
> 
> I may come back to this AU some day, I've got so many ideas for it, and would love to play around more with other characters, too, so who knows? 
> 
> Anyways, thank you again!

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to come chat with me on tumblr :D 
> 
> @animateddragon: anime and fanfic blog 
> 
> @cryptid-kaz: original writing blog 
> 
> @cats-crows-and-cryptids: personal blog


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